As Times Change currently on hold
by PhoenixSpectre
Summary: Tsukune starts loosing control of his ghoul side, and the girls decide to do something to put themselves a little higher in Tsukune's eyes. Rating may change, has current rating for safety. This will NOT be a one-shot. Will be updated whenever I can.
1. Chapter 1:  The Weakening Seal

My univeral disclaimer:

I own nothing but the new ideas that I have injected into whatever I'm writing about.

In this instance, that means that I don't own Rosario + Vampire, the characters, or anything like that.

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><p>Chapter 1: The Weakening Seal<p>

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><p>It was just another normal day, or as normal as it gets at Yokai Academy anyways. Tsukune began his walk to the school grounds from his dorm, and was greeted by Moka, who proceeded to suck his blood after baiting him in with what almost seemed like a kiss. A bit later, Kurumu appeared out of nowhere and gave him a few seconds of suffocation, which was broken by an ice dagger thrown by Mizore that struck her in the forehead. Then, as usual, Yukari showed up and was dishing out mild concussions by dropping wash bins on Kurumu and Mizore's heads. A fight almost became imminent.<p>

Soon enough, while trying to get everyone to settle down, Moka got involved in said fight. As Mizore and Kurumu started to transform, Tsukune quickly removed Moka's rosary and the sheer terror experienced by all the girls was enough to quell the fighting. After they all got settled down, she turned back to Tsukune.

"Hey. It's nice to see you again." said Moka.

"It's nice to see you as well." Tsukune replied in a respectful but frightened tone.

"I do have to ask though, please try to settle these things without releasing me from now on. It feels a little bad to be only called upon as a deterrent force all the time." Moka retorted in a tone that included just a slight whisper of hurt feelings.

Then this much more powerful and frightening form of their friend (who they had all now started referring to as Inner Moka) then proceeded to bait Tsukune in with what the boy almost thought would be a kiss, but turned into another short feeding for her. She then withdrew her fangs and reclaimed her rosary from the boy and returned to her more happy version of herself. He had to admit though, he had been half expecting to just be fed upon. He had come a long way from his naivety in actually believing he'd be kissed.

Though feeling light-headed, as Inner Moka tended to drink a lot more of his blood than the Outer Moka did, he continued his walk with the other girls trailing behind him. He could hear them arguing over him over and over and over again. He'd also occasionally hear the sounds that he had come to associate Yukari's wash bins or Mizore's daggers with. He'd turn back to see one or more of his friends dripping a liberal amount a blood, which made him look away in pain.

"_I really wish that they'd stop hurting each other over me." _The young ghoul thought. _"I mean it HAS become a common thing between them, but I don't want to be the reason that one of them bleeds out one of these days. It's unlikely because they heal fast, I mean they ARE monsters, but still, I don't like seeing them bleed over me."_

"Hey everybody!" shouted a familiar voice.

They turned to see the second and last boy that was in their group, as well as the oldest among them, Gin. He ran up and greeted all of the girls, who proceeded to attack him lightly, dismiss him as a pervert, and send him away from them. He ran up to join Tsukune.

"Hey buddy. How have you been?" a rather happy sounding Gin asked.

"I've been doing pretty good. Things have been normal. Or, well, as normal as they get at a place like this anyways. Anything new with you?" inquired Tsukune.

"Nah, nothing. Same old, same old, you know? I bet you heard their little quarrel when I showed up." replied Gin, both pointing back at the group of girls and covering a cut on his neck that one of Mizore's daggers had given him, though the blood still flowed down his neck past his hand.

"I really wish that they'd all stop attacking each other over me. I mean, one way or another, whether it's in a fight or if it's just because they're arguing over me, all my friends, you included, seem to be bleeding out over me."

"Hey, it's not that bad. I mean I've just got a small cut. Plus we're all yokai. We heal fast. It'll be like you never knew we got hit." Gin said, doing his best to try and make the mood a bit happier.

"Well it's more or less the fact that you guys are bleeding over me and less the fact that you'll all be okay. I do know that you all heal very fast. It just doesn't exactly make a guy feel good knowing that he's the cause of many an injury." retorted Tsukune.

"I guess I'd feel pretty bad too. So how are things going with Moka?"

"I've actually been doing less and less to try and become her boyfriend. It's probably the combination of feeling that she only likes me for my blood, that she's way out of my league, and that I feel a bit guilty for not giving the others a chance. Well, the ones that are my age anyways. Not Kokoa or Yukari. That would be weird" Tsukune replied in a rather thoughtful tone.

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><p>As the two boys continued their conversation, little did they realize that the arguing behind them had stopped so that the girls could listen better to what their favorite boy was saying. Many things were rushing through all the girls minds as they heard the conversation continue and soon enough they had drummed up a conversation of their own.<p>

"You guys did hear that, right? I'm not the only one? Did Tsukune just say that he's starting to give up on Moka? And further more that he'd start spending more time with the rest of us? Well minus the little girls." said a rather excited Kurumu.

"Awww, but that's not fair! Why won't he give me a chance?" whined a rather upset Yukari.

"You ARE five years younger than him after all. Do you really think that he'd be your boyfriend?" retorted Kurumu.

"Well, yeah, I guess hoping for that was a bit of a long shot, but a girl can dream. And no one asked for your snide comments!" Yukari replied.

"I speak only the truth" said Kurumu in a holier-than-thou voice.

"But you all also heard what he said about fighting, right?" inquired Mizore, who had been deep in thought until a few moments ago.

"Yeah. Now that's what I don't get," Kurumu said. "I don't know a boy alive who wouldn't like seeing girls fight over him."

"Well now we all do, and said boy's name is Tsukune Aono." replied Mizore.

"I still can't believe he lost interest in me," said Moka with a bit of hurt in her tone. "I mean I was just sort of having fun and never meant to get into a real relationship, but knowing that he won't have his heart fully in our little cat-and-mouse game anymore kind of hurts."

"Hey, you had him in the palm of your hand for God knows how long since the day he saw you. But that's what you get for just toying with him." Kurumu shot back

"Well if we're all being completely honest here, I have to say that I think that I've been liking his blood more than him." replied Moka in an oddly honest tone. "Maybe I should be a bit more considerate."

"Well your loss is our gain. I swear, sometimes it seems that even the Inner You likes him more than you do." Kurumu said.

Moka wanted to snap back at her, but she honestly knew it was true. The Inner Her DID like Tsukune more than she did. It was ironic in a way. The cold and borderline evil version of her loved the perfect boy they both knew as Tsukune Aono more than the warm and sweet version. She was going to try and even up, if not surpass her Inner Self in loving feelings for him.

"But the main concern here is that Tsukune doesn't like being around us when we're making each other bleed all the time. It makes him feel bad. We've got to do something to fix that." stated Mizore.

"Well, we could all agree that one of us gets him and the others back off. And by back off I mean the others can jump off a cliff or move away."

"…I don't see that happening." replied Moka and Yukari in unison.

"And since I know that the 'one' that you're talking about is yourself, I must say that I do believe there is no way in hell any of us are going to accept that without a long and rather bloody fight, and if we go that direction, it'll only serve to drive Tsukune further apart from us." retorted Mizore

"Yeah, you're right. So we've got to figure this out. Let's meet after school to talk about this." Kurumu said.

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><p>Still unaware that the girls had noticed their conversation, Gin and Tsukune continued their conversation as they all neared the school's doors.<p>

"I mean what do you have to be sad about though? The three hottest girls in the school are following you around 24/7! And beyond that, sometimes others girls outside our group of friends here get interested in you too! You're like catnip for girls!" Gin exclaimed.

"Well as great as it is getting suffocated by Kurumu or anything else that any of the other girls do, I've got my morals to uphold. Sometimes I'd rather just hang out with someone who isn't a girl. Like you. Not that I'm gay or anything." retorted Tsukune.

"Hmph. Morals. I bet they all wish you'd drop those like a hot rock. But so that's why we've been hanging out a lot more? I mean, I was almost sure that it had something to do with you pissing off all the girls and you didn't want to come near them for fear of death. Or worse."

"Nope. Just wanted to get away from it all for awhile. But it's a system, and it works, so I won't go screwing with anything. I'm back in the whole scheme where I get baited into a feeding session with Moka because of a faked kiss, then suffocated by Kurumu's massive... err... chest, and then Mizore lets loose with her daggers as Yukari lets the wash bins fall." said Tsukune.

"Well I bet that the girls will be happy with that. Well, it looks like it's time for class. I'll see you all at lunch!" Gin proceeded to say goodbye to the girls, who dismissed him again with nasty looks. Tsukune and the gang proceeded to Miss Nekonome's class.

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><p>Class ended up being very boring for Tsukune that day. He ended up nearly falling asleep and was very happy that Miss Nekonome didn't notice. Had she called him out on it, he would have looked like a fool. Normally he would have been kept awake just by staring at Moka, but remembering that he had been barking up that tree for almost a year, he did his best to instead pay attention to today's lesson. It was much harder than expected and he found himself nearly nodding off at multiple points in class. He couldn't wait for lunch.<p>

On the other hand, the girls couldn't care where they were at that moment, as they had a lot to think about. Mizore was busy stalk… err… casually observing Tsukune from a far distance, all the while thinking about what she heard this morning.

"_He's going to give the rest of us a chance… that seems good, but that means that Moka is going to try and win him back. And he doesn't want us fighting. Well, I guess it can't feel good, knowing people are cutting each other up over you…" _

Kurumu couldn't be happier. Because of Moka's ignorance, she now had an even bigger opportunity to capture Tsukune's heart. But that also meant that the others did too. She was trying to measure up her competition.

_"Well I'll still have to compete with Moka, but it seems that he's lost interest in her. Still, better to be prepared. And I don't know what Mizore is going to try to pull. I've got to keep a close eye on her. He won't be interested in Yukari or Kokoa because they aren't his age, so it's only going to be a three horse race. Well, granted Ruby doesn't catch wind of this. But even if she did get involved, she'd only be able to see him after she's done working for the Headmaster, so she wouldn't have as much time with him as we would. But that would mean that she'd turn up the heat a bit while around him. This change up is going to require a big revision of tactics…"_

Moka was feeling a bit down because she heard that Tsukune had lost interest in her, but maybe that was her fault. She hadn't really thought of his feelings, but more of his tasty blood. Moreover, she had been talking with her Inner self inside her head for most of the class period, and it seemed that her Inner self DID in fact love Tsukune more. This put her deep in thought.

"_It's a bit hard to believe that he's starting to loose interest in me. I guess that is understandable though. I've been using him like my own personal juice box. Except with blood. Maybe I should try to get a bit closer to him. After all, I'm not the one who starts fights and makes people bleed, so maybe I stand a better chance than the rest of getting to him."_

_ **"Oh come on! What about me here? I've fallen in love with the guy just like Mizore or Kurumu but I never get to see him unless I'm helping beat some moron senseless or unless he's saving me from water! You can give it your best shot to be nicer to him, but please, let me spend a little time with him outside of smashing skulls along side him!" **_said the voice of Inner Moka. It rang in her head for awhile. Moka did realize it was true though. Inner Moka was only able to talk to him during a battle when she was released. Any other time, she was just watching him through her eyes, unable to say anything to him.

_**"That guy has saved me from water, other monsters, and perverts at this school! I mean it's not like I don't have feelings, no matter how cold-hearted I act!"**_

_"Alright, Alright," _said the Outer Moka in her mind as she conceded to her counterpart, _"I'll have him let you off the chain so that you can spend time with him every now and again. But I'm going to try to get to him as well. And you can't try and beat all bloody hell out of Kurumu or Mizore if they come close, ok?"_

The much more violent form of Moka didn't like the idea of not being able to scare away the competition, but to see Tsukune outside of battle, it was worth it.

_** "Alright then, we've got a deal. I might not like the terms, but we've got a deal. We should still meet with Kurumu and Mizore at lunch to discuss how we're going to deal with attempting to share Tsukune without slitting each other's throats in our sleep."**_

_"Alright then. But for now, let's just continue with class. That is, if I can focus, of course."_

_ "**You won't be able to. Heck, I won't be able to, so think about him and your plans to get to him. I'll be doing the same."**_

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><p>When lunch finally began, Tsukune got up quickly and went to get his lunch to see if he could find his best friend before all of the girls caught up to him. He hoped for too much, as his quick pace was mirrored by all of the girls, who proceeded to follow him to the normal lunch table. After sitting down, another small fight erupted between them all and between Mizore's daggers, Kurumu's claws, and Yukari's wash bins, yet again there was blood. But this time an odd feeling struck him. And it started at his nose.<p>

He smelled their blood. Normally, he would have thought nothing of it, but it was a bit different now. It was like his sense of smell had heightened to a supernatural level. The smell filled his nostrils and nearly drove his brain mad. He wanted it. He wanted to drink all of the blood. He even found himself thinking that he should pry them open to drink them all dry. And then, all at once, the sensation went away. When he regained his senses, he saw himself staring at Moka's arm, which had been pierced by a dagger and was dripping blood. All the girls were staring at him.

"Tsukune? Are you alright?" asked Mizore.

He almost didn't hear the question as he quickly rolled up his sleeve to get a good look at the holy lock that was wrapped around his wrist. What he saw gave him a great feeling of terror: almost all of the links were filled with cracks. Even the lock had grown a few. That must have been the reason for his sudden moment of bloodlust. He quickly gathered his things and got up.

"I'm sorry everyone but I've got to go. There's someone I need to see." replied Tsukune in a rather worried tone. The only thing that made him worried more than the look of his holy lock was that the person he had to see was the Headmaster. From past experiences, they all knew that his methods for problem solving were… unconventional at best. That didn't help to lessen his fears.

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><p>Almost immediately after the ghoul left, the girls decided it would be a good time to get down to business, and Kokoa and Gin showed up to eat with them.<p>

"Hey all. What's going on here?" asked a rather confused Gin. Tsukune wasn't here, and furthermore, they weren't trying to dismember one another.

"Yeah, why do you all seem so serious? And where is Tsukune? I haven't had a good snack in ages." added Kokoa. She was just as puzzled as Gin.

"It's kind of a long story. In short, what we're doing doesn't involve you. Tsukune went to see someone, and from the look we saw on his face, something not very good is happening to him. We're going to let him go to talk to whoever he has to in order to solve his problems and get down to our business. Which I mentioned, doesn't include you." Mizore replied.

"Wait, who did Tsukune go to see? And what is this business of yours?" inquired Gin, still puzzled by most of whatever was happening.

"We don't know who Tsukune went to see, and again, none of your business." snapped Kurumu. "Just don't let Ruby know…"

"Don't let Ruby know what?" the witch asked as she strode over to the table. "What's going on here?"

"Darn… well I'll be fair in this. Since I guess you qualify, you can be included in this." replied Kurumu in a rather disappointed tone.

"Care to explain what 'this' is first?" Ruby asked.

"Will someone explain to me what the heck is going on here?" Kokoa asked, unable to sit here and become more confused any longer.

"Alright, fine. Sit down. You can be in on this too, even if you aren't the right age either. Now let's get down to business…" Kurumu replied while turning her gaze to the young man who was still standing behind them.

They all turned to stare at Gin, who hadn't moved and still had a look on his face that read confused beyond all understanding. He just stood there, immobile.

"What?" asked the werewolf.

He was suddenly bombarded by a hail of ice shards that sent him running, courtesy of Mizore.

"Okay! Okay! I'm going! I'm going!" shouted Gin as he was pinpricked by Mizore's ice shards on his escape.

"Now down to business…" said Kurumu.

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><p>Tsukune had never actually come to the Headmaster's office of his own accord. He had no idea what would happen over then next few hours or days after he stepped through the doors to the Headmaster's office, but he continued on, knowing that if anyone could confirm his fears and help fix them, it would be the man behind that door.<p>

"Tsukune. It's good to see you. How's the lock?" asked the Headmaster.

"Well sir, that's actually what I came to see you about…"

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><p>And end chapter one. I'll tell you, that took a while to write. This won't turn into a one-shot, as I have a lot more in this story. I've included just about all the characters, but those that are around 16-17 years old (i.e. not Kokoa or Yukari) will be more prominent in this.<p>

Please R&R. Reading and reviewing would be nice too, but do that at your own whim. Oh, you thought R&R meant read and review? Nope. I just personally think that everyone has to rest and relax sometimes, so please do that.


	2. Chapter 2: Favors For Friends

Chapter 2: Favors for Friends

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><p>Gin couldn't put his finger on it, but something big was going to happen real soon. He could feel it. The girls were concocting some sort of plan it seemed, and Tsukune had run off to get help for something. It wasn't helping to quench his nervous state that it was a vampiric ghoul that was now seeking help from someone. He continued walking back to class, alone, lost in his thoughts.<p>

"Ok, so what is going on with Tsukune again? How is this whole deal going to work?" asked Kokoa, rather confused by all this.

"It doesn't concern you, it concerns Ruby, Mizore, Moka, and myself. We only were being nice and letting you in on it." retorted Kurumu. "Were you even listening to anything?"

"I was, but then you guys started to loose me after the first few sentences. Can you just explain it all again? In a quick summary this time?" Kokoa pleaded with the rest.

"Fine." a rather annoyed Kurumu agreed. "So we were walking to school this morning, and we ended up overhearing some stuff in a conversation between Tsukune and Gin. Most notably, we heard that Tsukune doesn't like seeing us hurt each other and bleed all the time because it gives him a sense of guilt. We also heard, much to our joy, well, for most of us anyways, that Tsukune has also started loosing interest in Moka. So now we need to concoct a plan that will give us all an equal chance with Tsukune whilst not making each other bleed out on the ground. And since you and Yukari are nowhere near his age, you two are excluded from this whole thing, though I'm pretty sure that Yukari is going to be the only one feeling bad about that. The big thing is that we need to know that you two aren't going to try anything to ruin any of our chances with Tsukune."

"Hey, as long as I get to taste a bit of his blood every once in awhile, I'm not complaining. Plus I'm not going to try to date a guy who is almost four years older than me in high school. I might like him, but I don't love the guy. He hasn't stolen my heart like he seems to have done with so many of you, or at least, he hasn't yet. So I'll, wait, scratch that, WE'LL do you a favor and stay out of your way when you try to get closer to Tsukune, won't we Yukari?" inquired Kokoa rather indifferently.

"Yeah, I guess so…" replied a rather disheartened sounding Yukari.

"Alright. Thanks you two. So now that we're all on the same page, we'll need to figure out a way that we can all spend time with Tsukune, minus the bloodshed." stated Kurumu.

"I think that I've got an idea that just might work, but only if everyone participates. Fairly, I might add." Ruby said.

"Alright then, let's hear it." replied Mizore.

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><p>"So you see, I came to you because of an incident at lunch today that I can honestly describe was a feeling of bloodlust. Furthermore, it seems that my seal is just about finished." observed Tsukune as the Headmaster observed the lock and chain on his wrist that seemed to be in a rather bad state of repair.<p>

"Well, that is a real problem. And not just for one reason. You see, the seal is weakening because it wasn't originally made for you in the first place. I just put it on you as a temporary fix. And to be quite honest, I don't think you've really liked having that thing on all the time, have you?" asked the Headmaster.

"Well, yeah, it does get kind of annoying, it chafes sometimes, and it scares me to know that one accident could remove it and then I'd be killing all that I care about." replied Tsukune in a worried tone.

"Yes, and it takes quite awhile for trinkets of this nature to be specially made for people." the Headmaster observed. "So now you'll have a few choices."

"Is this going to end up as one of those scenarios that you put people in where I'm kind of forced to choose one of the choices because it's really the only way that can solve anything?" Tsukune interrupted.

"Hmph. You seem to know me all too well Tsukune. But before choosing, you've got to hear all of your options, just in case some insane spark in your head wants you to go with a different choice than the one that I know will be best for you." retorted the Headmaster.

"Alright. So what can be done about this problem?" Tsukune inquired.

"Well first, you can try and keep the current holy lock, only for it to break and for you to rampage, killing most of what you love and you'll end up dead yourself."

"I think it's kind of obvious I'm not going that route." Tsukune said.

"Second, you could try to wait for somewhere around two months for a new lock to be made specifically for you, and that would solve your problems, but you'll still run the gamble of having it break because of an accident, as the chain isn't exactly sturdy, and I also seriously doubt that your current lock is going to hold that long. It looks as if it may break within the week, actually."

"Well, I don't think I want to run that gamble. And I might add that these time estimates you're giving me aren't exactly inspiring confidence here."

"And third, is a bit of a risk, but if it works, it will successfully suppress the ghoul nature forever without a holy lock or anything of that nature."

"Well that sounds like the way to go right there." Tsukune interrupted again.

"Yes, but you probably won't like what will need to be done in order for that to happen." retorted the Headmaster.

"What exactly will have to happen?" asked Tsukune in a rather worried tone. He didn't like how the Headmaster's last statement had sounded.

"You'll need to be infused with some kind of yokai essence that will counteract the ghoul nature but keep you in control."

"So basically get infused with more monster blood somehow." Tsukune stated.

"In simplicity, yes. The risk you run here is that if the other essence isn't a strong enough countermeasure to the vampiric ghoul nature, it will only serve to increase your ghoul nature's power making it so that no seal could withhold it. Also, you'd need to have the essence be something that is easily controlled."

"Ok. Well, I have to do something, and right now, that seems like the best option. So what exactly would be the strongest essence I could use to counteract the ghoul in me?" Tsukune asked

"That shouldn't be hard for you Tsukune. You turned into a ghoul because of vampire blood. And what is just about as strong as a vampire?" The Headmaster asked the student.

"A werewolf" Tsukune replied.

"Exactly. And furthermore, when bitten, the wounded will proceed to turn into a werewolf but be in complete control of their actions, so it really would be the ideal choice. And if I'm not mistaken, I do believe that you have a friend who happens to be a werewolf who could lend you a hand. Or fang, as it were."

"Alright. So I'll get together with Gin, explain it all to him and have him bite me…" Tsukune said, formulating his plan.

"Yes, but at the opportune moment. For instance, when are werewolves strongest?"

"On the night of a full moon." Tsukune replied. He had know this because of his first encounter with Gin's monster form.

"Exactly. The next full moon is in four days. Talk to your friend and get him on board with the idea. Then, on said night, meet me here with him. I will personally oversee the whole procedure so that I can intervene should anything go wrong. And I recommend that you don't tell any of your other friends. They wouldn't need to worry about something that they can't control."

"Alright then. Thank you Headmaster. I'll see you in a few days I suppose." said Tsukune as he started towards the door.

"I must caution you though Tsukune. Your seal looks to be very weak right now. I'd try to avoid having strong feelings, be it hate, guilt, or anything else. Since your seal is weakening, your ghoul form can feed off of those negative feelings to gain control and further weaken the seal. A very big task, I know, but that would be best for you in your current state."

Tsukune nodded and walked back through the doors, having both new hopes and new fears for his future. He set off to go back to class and was bombarded with thoughts that made him uneasy.

_"I can't tell any of my friends about this, minus Gin who will need to know to help me. But if I don't tell them, will they still trust me afterwards? I'll have to keep the truth from them for the greater good right now, though. It's less that they wouldn't be able to take worrying about me, because they've done that before. It's more that I don't to feel that I made them start worrying over me."_

Still lost in his thoughts, the boy continued back to class, hoping to find Gin as well as trying to remain emotionally indifferent. Somehow he knew he'd have a hard time with the second of his two objectives. His paced quickened until he was running back to class, hoping to find Gin before anyone else found him.

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><p>"But how do we know that none of us are going to try any funny stuff on our day with Tsukune?" inquired Moka, who was skeptical of the plan Ruby had concocted.<p>

"I guess that will have to be on faith. But rest assured, if anyone goes outside the boundaries, the rest of us will make said person bleed. Out of Tsukune's line of sight, of course." replied Mizore. She was just as skeptical as Moka, but she did like some aspects of the idea. Like the fact that this arrangement they were trying to put together would ultimately make Tsukune want to be around them, and thus her, more because it would lessen the bloodshed. Or at least it would keep it out of Tsukune's line of sight.

"So we're all in agreement then? This whole plan will proceed?" Ruby asked everyone.

"Yeah, but we need to tell Tsukune and get him on board with the whole idea. Then we'll start the whole arrangement." Kurumu said.

"Ok, but before we even do that, we'll need to iron out a schedule or calendar of some sort so that we'll know who can be with him and when. Otherwise there will only be more blood everywhere. So we're all going to need to get together again. Probably for the next few days, as I can bet that there will be arguments." added Mizore.

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><p>Fortunately for Tsukune, most of the rest of the day went off without a hitch. The girls seemed to wrapped up in some plan and no one tried to start a fight with him. They hadn't even really talked to him all day. When ever he got close, they would all move away, seemingly trying to keep some secret from him. It made him feel good that he wouldn't have to worry about them wondering where he had been, what his problem was, and who he had seen, but it also filled him with a sense of discomfort. What were they all doing? And how exactly did they all stay around each other without drawing blood? Those thoughts and others raced through his mind, but he was happy to see that they weren't hurting each other over him anymore. Or at least for the time being.<p>

After school ended, he began his search for Gin. He went to the upperclassmen classrooms and fortunately enough, bumped right into his friend who was just leaving his class.

"Oh, hey Tsukune. Sorry about that. What's up?" the werewolf inquired.

"Hey Gin. I ended up needing to see the Headmaster today. I've been having a few problems." answered Tsukune.

"Problems like you got detention for falling asleep in class again?" Gin asked.

"No, more like monster problems. As in me." replied Tsukune as he held up his arm and rolled his sleeve back a bit to show Gin the nearly useless holy lock.

"Wow. That thing looks trashed. What's going on?" Gin asked.

"That's a long story. I'll tell you it if you've got the time. It ends with me asking you a favor." replied Tsukune.

"Well school did just end. I've got time…"

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><p>And end chapter two. A big plot twist indeed.<p>

I normally listen to music like the Beatles, Vertical Horizon, or John Mayer, but recently I've been listening to more heavy and urgent feeling rock songs (One Step Closer by Linkin Park and A Little Faster by There For Tomorrow are two good examples, if you want to look them up) which are getting me in the mood to write a fight. In the few chapters that will be written after I finish everything up to the change with Tsukune that I'm pretty sure all of you can sense is coming, I believe that I'll be adding a couple blockheads from the series to break in the new Tsukune.

As always, R&R. And if you're feeling especially nice, read and review, too.


	3. Chapter 3: Deals And Disagreements

Chapter 3: Deals and Disagreements

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><p>Gin and Tsukune sat on a high limb of one of the tall, creepy looking trees outside Yokai Academy's school grounds. He had never taken the time to actually appreciate it before, but the view of the place that you could get from up here was sensational. You could see everything. Though all of the area had a fairly evil sense to it, as the place WAS made for monsters, sitting up here helped to clear one's mind, and at that exact moment, that was just what Tsukune needed. Fortunately, the girls weren't around either, so that served to make this the perfect time to get the whole plan relayed to Gin.<p>

"Alright. So let me see if I have this straight: earlier today during lunch, the girls got into a small brawl and someone got a decently deep cut that was oozing blood. Then for reasons that were unknown, you were thinking thoughts worthy of your ghoul nature because the smell of the blood got to you. You went to see the Headmaster who confirmed to you that all that rather odd stuff was happening because the seal was weakening. And now you're trying to find a way to seal the monstrosity inside you off for good without something like another holy lock. Have I got it all so far?" Gin recapped while trying to take it all in. The last fight that the group had was just under a week ago. It was like you couldn't sneeze around here without attracting trouble or something that had the desire to kill you and feast on your bones. Though they had faced many of said monsters before and they all now were unrecognizable, due to Inner Moka's kicks to their heads, which proceeded to rearrange their face. But now they had to fix Tsukune. And Gin knew how deadly the demonic creation inside of him could be.

"In a nutshell, yes. You've got just about everything I've told you so far." Tsukune replied. He was surprised at how easily Gin was understanding all of this.

"The one thing that I find impossible is sealing that ghoul inside of you without a holy lock or something. Without some kind of artifact like that, I don't see any way that is going to happen unless hell freezes over." Gin said.

"Well, that's what I'm getting to. You see, the Headmaster told me that there were a variety of things that I could do in order to fix this…" Tsukune began.

"You mean he told you what could choose to do leaving only one mentally sane option." Gin interrupted.

"Yup. We really do seem to know all of the old man's tricks." chuckled Tsukune.

"I wouldn't count on that. He always ends up pulling something new out of his sleeve. Metaphorically, of course. Anyways, what are the options? I mean, the option?" Gin asked.

"Oh, yeah. He said that I'd need to have the essence of another monster that I'd be able to have control over infused into me that would serve to counteract the ghoul nature caused by the vampire blood. He also said that the essence would have to be strong enough to overpower the ghoul in me or else I run the risk of having the power I gain from the essence being consumed by the ghoul, and then the ghoul will never be able to be sealed."

"I see where this is going…" Gin said as he realized what favor Tsukune was going to ask.

"So the Headmaster and I decided that werewolf essence would be the best choice here. Also, the Headmaster said that to make the whole thing even more likely to work, we should do this whole procedure on the next full moon, which is four days from now." Tsukune continued.

"Wow. You guys really did plan this out. So the favor that you are going to ask me now is…" Gin trailed off waiting for Tsukune to finish his thought for him.

"Gin, I need you to do me a favor and bite me four days from now at night, inject that sort of werewolf poison stuff you use to turn others into werewolves into me, and most of all not let the girls know that any of this is going to happen." Tsukune said, picking up where Gin had left off.

"Yeah, I thought that was what I was going to hear." Gin replied as he repositioned himself so that he was now hanging by his legs off the branch of the tree.

"So you'll do it?" Tsukune eagerly inquired.

"Heck no! I'm not going to help a friend take a risk that could have him killing me, his friends, and everyone at this school. I'm also not going to do it because if it fails, bloody rampage aside, I'll lose my best friend." Gin said rather sincerely, which was a surprising and refreshing side to see of the werewolf labeled as the biggest pervert on campus. He seemed to be leaving those days behind.

"But this could seal up that monster I've got inside me!" Tsukune pleaded. "This could fix everything!"

"It's like I said, man. There is no way in this world I see something outside a magical trinket like your lock, which I might add seems pretty wasted, that can hold that beast back. Not unless hell freezes over."

"But…" Tsukune started to protest.

"Unless HELL freezes over!" Gin reiterated.

"Look Gin, you might think that this is a bad idea, but I've got no other options. The only other one would be to try and hold out for a holy lock to be forged specifically for me, but that would take almost two months, and by the Headmaster's estimates, the one I'm currently wearing isn't going to last for much more than a week. Maybe even less if something goes wrong and the seal gets even weaker. It's between you biting me and me killing my friends, and I really wouldn't prefer the latter option. I need your help." Tsukune said, coming up with many reasons that Gin should help him go through with this.

Gin remained silent.

"The Headmaster even said that he'd watch over the whole process and intervene if needed." Tsukune added.

Gin hung under the tree branch for a while, speechless because he was thinking over the plan and seeing how it could work, and also because for he was divided between helping his best friend and possibly loosing him in the process. The fact that the Headmaster would be keeping the whole process in check helped to calm his fears a bit. He also was starting to feel rather important as his best friend needed his help.

After a few moments of silence, Tsukune repositioned himself so that he was hanging off the branch by his legs as well.

"This could be my only shot to actually fix the problem with my ghoul form forever," said Tsukune, "but I can't do it unless you help me." the ghoul pleaded.

After a few more moments of silence, Gin finally caved in, because he knew that this was both what his friend wanted and that it was also for the best. He let loose a long sigh.

"Alright, I'll do it. For my friend." He replied.

"Thanks." said Tsukune.

"So how is this whole thing going down? Where are we going to meet?" Gin inquired.

"Well, first, don't tell the girls. They'll try to talk me out of it and they might succeed. Plus, there isn't really any sense in them worrying about something that they won't be able to control. Second, the Headmaster told me that we should meet him outside of his office building when the full moon is high in the sky four days from now. The only other thing that has to be done is that I have to stay emotionally indifferent. Apparently since the seal is weakened, the more I become prone to feelings, the more the ghoul nature can feed off of that and become stronger, and thus that much closer to breaking the seal." Tsukune explained.

"So basically, you can't get in a fight and you can't see the girls." Gin summarized.

"Yeah. I'd get really mad if I got in a fight, and seeing the girls would tug at my heartstrings with guilt. But don't worry, I think I can handle that." Tsukune replied.

Gin nodded in agreement. He also made a mental note to keep an eye on his best friend. He knew that for the most part he'd be able to watch out for situations that could trigger emotions, but he knew that if the girls came looking for him, they WOULD find him. And thus his seal would be in trouble.

"Alright then. It's a deal. I'll help you. We'd better get in the habit of getting together after school though. I think that's going to be the only legitimate way to let you avoid the girls without them starting to suspect you." Gin said.

"That's a good plan. So should I just meet you outside your classroom each day then?" asked Tsukune.

"Nah, let's just keep it simple. After school for the next four days, let's just meet up at this tree. Well just talk about, well, whatever will keep you, how did you put it? Emotionally indifferent. Yeah. That and of course I'm going to have to poke around to find out what has really been going on between you and the girls." Gin replied with a chuckle. He and Tsukune both knew that nothing had gone on, but it was still pretty funny to them both as a joke.

"Alright. Well, I've got homework, and I'll bet you do too." Tsukune said.

"Yup. Miss Ririko has really been piling it on lately, hasn't she?" Gin answered as they both began to walk casually to the boys dorms.

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><p>Moka had her head down on a desk as she listened to the sound of Ruby, Kurumu, and Mizore arguing over who should get to spend time with Tsukune and on what day. The sound had become like a white noise to her that buzzed endlessly against her eardrums and was beginning to drive her mad. She did think that it was rather nice of Miss Nekonome to let them use her classroom for their planning session after school.<p>

"I'll spend time with him on Monday, Ruby can hang out with him on Tuesday, Moka can have her day with him on Wednesday, and that leaves Mizore with Thursday. Then I'll just use all of the other days." Kurumu said with a rather greedy tone in her voice.

"That isn't fair to anyone and you know it!" Yukari interjected. Though she wasn't going to be included in this schedule they were making, she was becoming rather involved in its construction.

" Well do you have any better idea of what we can do with the other days? I mean there are four of us and only seven days in the week, so it would never be fair for one of us anyways." Kurumu shot back.

The argument had been going on for an hour and proceeded to continue for another one, with Ruby or Mizore putting in their two cents every now and again, though most of the arguing seemed to be done by Yukari and Kurumu. Moka just sat quietly, hoping that there was some way progress would be made from all this so that she could see Tsukune again. They had all agreed not to get involved with him until they had worked up a good schedule. They were using a weekly planner to try and get a schedule working, but constant disagreements that led to revisions of the pages of the planner. This ended up making each page they attempted to write plan on covered in different styles of writing and different symbols as they all would write and scratch out different things due to their arguments. After awhile, no one could make heads or tails of the page so they would rip it out and start again. They were currently on their twenty first page and it had already become rather hard to read. Moka was wishing that she had left with Kokoa in the first five minutes of this madness.

"Well, it doesn't seem like this is going to get planned out today, so I think I'll go back to my dorm. I'm a bit tired anyways." Moka said.

Everyone else ended up following suit and thus ended another tedious day of unfruitful work on their schedule to share Tsukune. Everyone was hoping that some kind of compromise would end up taking effect and that they would finally have a complete schedule that they all agreed with. They all hoped that at least.

And thus ended another day at Yokai Academy as everyone walked off to their dorms to go to sleep and prepare for tomorrow.

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><p>And end Chapter 3. Don't worry all you actionromance lovers. I assure you that the story will address that soon enough.

I'd like to take this bit of space to say thanks to all of you who have subscribed to my story already. It makes me feel good that people are interested in what I'm writing, especially seeing as this is my first story on . I also would like to address a comment that was made by one Nghtwng77. I have read lots of the manga and I have honestly loved the storyline. I didn't like how most of the girls who weren't Moka ended up being portrayed as skank-like in character as time went on, and I also was a bit against Gin violating just about every girl who got close to him. So I changed a bit to make them all seem a bit less perverted and a bit more moral. From what you have said, it seems that I'm going in the right direction. Granted though I might end up having Kurumu keep doing her 'customary greeting', as removing that would almost be like cutting away her character. I'll hint that she might resist doing it just once to show Tsukune she can be mature.

Expect Chapter 4 to be along real soon!

As always, R&R everybody. And if you feel compelled to, read and review, too. That's always appreciated.


	4. Chapter 4: Demon Rising

Chapter 4: Demon Rising

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><p>Surprisingly, there had been just about no incidents between Tsukune and the girls or other monsters for the first two days after Gin had agreed to go along with the plan. It was highly unusual, as they all had grown accustomed to at least one fight every week, yet surprisingly there had been no incidents, which was fortunate for Tsukune given his current predicament. The second school day had ended, leaving only two more days of what ended up seeming like a trial by fire for Tsukune's emotional will. He was currently shooting the breeze with Gin while they were sitting up in the tree where Gin had agreed to help Tsukune with his seal problem a few days ago.<p>

"The one thing that I do understand about most girls here liking you is your human scent, as to most monsters, humans taste much better than other monsters, and that makes sense of how Moka ended up following you around, even if you did bump into her on accident. It DOESN'T explain why Kurumu and Mizore started to follow you around though. Succubi and Snow Maidens don't eat humans or anything like that, yet those two are constantly throwing themselves at you. And you constantly turn them down." Gin observed.

"Well I never really meant for any of this to happen. Kurumu just kind of chose me as her 'Mate of Fate', so I didn't really have any power over that, and half the time I don't even realize that Mizore is around me because she's good at stalking me. Without being detected, I might add."

As Gin and Tsukune continued to talk about the girls, there was one thought that stuck with Gin through all of their conversation, though.

"_He's got an iron will and unshakeable morals. I mean, this guy has the prettiest girls on campus following him around, sometimes even throwing themselves at him, but he still stays above the influence. Any other boy would have instantly broken down and done what ever the Succubus or the Snow Maiden wanted of him, but no matter how hard they try, Tsukune just seems to keep his will and his morals between him and them. Though I could imagine some events might have seriously given him and his morals a test." _Gin thought to himself.

"They're all really nice, but I've been really kicking myself in the side when I start thinking about them lately." Tsukune began. "You see, when I first got here, I had my heart set on Moka. It didn't matter how much Kurumu or Mizore tried, or how… uhh… let's just say unique their methods for capturing my affections got, I always kept trying to be with Moka before anyone else. And then over the last few weeks, I had a sort of revelation: I realized that she's never said 'I love you' or given me a kiss before, no matter how many times I say it to her or how many times she baits me into getting her 'snack'. I also ended up thinking of the other girls and how I've been kind of mean by not hanging out with them at all. And they've all stuck their necks out for me before. So now I don't know who I should choose. I mean, I know that I'm going to fall for someone, I just don't know who." Tsukune replied.

They continued their conversation which kept morphing from girls to school to life on campus to various other things. Tsukune was rather happy that he was just here with his best friend so that he could vent all of this stuff, as keeping feelings pent up inside him wasn't exactly good for emotional indifference. Gin was feeling pretty good too, because he knew that he was helping a lot by letting Tsukune vent all his emotions. It was also interesting hearing what Tsukune thought of his group of female friends, since his abstinent nature when they were around made him a rather difficult book to read. So they continued their conversation, laughing every once in a while. Tsukune was happy that he had at least one friend in this school who wasn't female.

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><p>"That isn't fair because it leaves me out more than anyone else!" Kurumu shouted, eager to immediately voice her discontented opinion of the latest schedule they had concocted. The paper was already becoming rather difficult to read.<p>

"Well your whole idea of you getting to spend time with him three days of the week while the rest of us were only given one wasn't exactly brilliant either." Mizore shot back.

This planning session for a simple schedule that they could use to share Tsukune had been going on for almost three days now. Moka still sat in her seat, not responding, with her head on her desk. She had been listening to Mizore, Ruby, Kurumu, and Yukari go at it for close to an hour now. It was surprising how deeply Yukari had gotten involved in the schedule planning sessions, seeing as she wouldn't be included in said schedule at all. She was currently acting as negotiator for Moka's time with Tsukune. Kokoa had left within the first ten minutes of the argument.

When her ears could no longer stand the torture that they were being dealt by the shouting and yelling of the other girls, she finally moved over and got involved.

"Alright. This has gone on long enough. What about this?" the vampiress asked as she tore the old page out of the planner since it had become illegible and proceeded to write her plan down on the next page. Her plan ended up letting Kurumu spend her time with him on Monday, Ruby spend time with him on Tuesday, herself spend time with him on Wednesday, and Mizore spend time with him on Thursday. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday would be exactly like it used to be everyday, where they would all be with him and fight for his attention, but in this version there would be no blood.

After looking it over and not being able to find any flaws, Kurumu, Mizore and Ruby all agreed.

"_Thank God it's all finally settled." _Moka thought to herself. She was relieved that she wouldn't have to endure another day of arguing.

"So now all we have to do is go to Tsukune and see if he's alright with our idea." Mizore said.

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><p>"…so it's more or less that I end up feeling guilty when I'm around them because I haven't been giving them a chance because I only had eyes for Moka before. I'm worried that if I even see them, I'll end up starting to lose myself to the ghoul because of sheer guilt." Tsukune finished. He and Gin were now hanging by their legs off of the branch of the tree again.<p>

"I understand. I mean, if I ignored people who were openly professing their love to me daily, I wouldn't exactly feel great either," Gin responded, "but I do believe that we've got homework to do, so I think we had best go back to the dorms."

They both ended up climbing down the tree after they gathered their bags, which they had hung on smaller branches that were jutting out from the limb they had been hanging on.

"It's not that I don't want to see them, I honestly do because I value them as friends. I just don't want to lose myself to the ghoul and try killing them." said Tsukune.

He had no more than mentioned the girls when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Tsukune! There you are! And… oh. You." A blue haired and rather busty succubus clothed in a skirt, a yellow sweater, and a white shirt said from behind them, both greeting Tsukune and expressing distaste at the sight of Gin at the same time.

She was accompanied by the purple haired snow maiden, who had her customary look which encompassed striped thigh high socks, a short skirt, and a rather loose and wide-sleeved shirt, the pink haired vampiress, who adopted the normal school uniform consisting of a short skirt and a green jacket, and the brown haired elder of the two witches they knew, who wore a pink corset and a long black skirt.

Tsukune turned pale when he heard her voice and saw them coming and tried casually turning his back on them. He was already fighting with his thoughts, trying to keep guilt away from his mind.

"Why are you two hanging out together?" Ruby inquired.

"Hey, we're the only other guys each other knows. We're best friends. It isn't a crime if we just want to hang out and talk." Gin said, doing his best to sound almost offended.

"Well anyways, we have something we'd like to show you and see if you would like to try with us, Tsukune." Moka said. "Could you turn around so you can take a look?"

Tsukune turned around very slowly. Now that he saw all four of them, he couldn't contain the feeling of guilt. He started to feel weird, and again, he could tell his nose was sniffing and looking for something. And that something was blood. Fortunately, no one had a cut or was dripping blood, so he was able to fight his ghoul side from releasing itself. For a little while anyways. Had anyone been bleeding, he would have lost the fight in his head with his more blood hungry side as the smell would have been enough to make him lose control and awaken the ghoul inside him.

Kurumu started trying to say something, probably to explain whatever the girls were talking about as they approached, but he couldn't hear, as his mind was busy trying to fight his feelings and suppress his emotions. He ended up staring at the ground, his gaze fixated at one point.

Gin started to worry when Tsukune wasn't responding or even looking at what Kurumu was trying to show him. He looked to his left and was looking for signs that things were going downhill and that he was going to loose it on the right side of Tsukune's face. His fears were confirmed as he could see that one of his teeth had grown longer, as his fangs were beginning to take shape. He saw Tsukune's eyes begin to flash crimson red and also saw a black mark start creeping up his neck, centered where Moka normally fed off of Tsukune or gave him blood in the past to aid him in battle. However, none of the girls were at a vantage point suited to see said reactions.

Mizore noticed that Tsukune hadn't been moving and had his gaze fixated on a pebble by his foot and started to worry.

"Are you feeling alright Tsukune?" the Snow Maiden asked in a sincere tone.

Tsukune started to slowly raise his head, and Gin could tell that one more glimpse of any of the girl's beautiful faces would send him over the edge. He quickly did the best he could to intervene.

"Yeah. He was telling me that he was feeling a bit under the weather. I think he's got a bit of a cold. Right buddy?" Gin nervously asked while averting his friend's ever rising gaze.

Tsukune didn't respond, still trying to fight off the monstrosity inside himself from rearing its ugly head.

"Really? Well, we could take him to the nurse…" Moka began.

"No, it's ok. He told me he just needs rest. I'll take him to the dorms." Gin cut in, and quickly nudged Tsukune, hoping that he had heard some of what he had just said so that he would respond and start to leave.

Fortunately, some part of Tsukune must have heard him as he turned and started to shuffle towards the boy's dorms, away from the girls. Gin followed and nudged him again to try and get him to go a bit faster, and without another word to the girls, they walked to the dorms at an urgently quick pace.

The girls just stood where they were, puzzled by what had just happened, and also a little suspicious. They also were a little sad that they didn't get to show their plan to Tsukune immediately so that he could decide whether or not it was worth a shot. They were determined to show him as soon as possible though, and they resolved to try and show him tomorrow whenever they got an opportunity.

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><p>At the front of the boys dorms and out of sight of the girls, Gin sat Tsukune down and checked to make sure that he got his pal out of there in time.<p>

"Tsukune? Are you okay? And it is you that I'm talking to, right?" A rather worried werewolf asked.

Fortunately for him, his pal's eyes were no longer red, and his teeth had returned to normal. Tsukune began to regain his senses as the black tattoo-like bite scar that marked where Moka injected him started to fade from his skin.

"Woah. I… don't feel so good. What happened?" Tsukune asked Gin.

"The girls unexpectedly showed up and you almost lost it." Gin answered. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Tsukune replied, looking a great deal weaker. "I didn't hurt anyone, did I?" Tsukune asked in a worried tone.

"No, I got you out of there in time. Let's go inside." Gin said.

"Alright. I hope I can stay away from them for one more day. We're so close here." Tsukune said with a sense of both hope and fright in his voice.

"I hope so too. I think I'll try to keep a closer eye on you tomorrow. They seem really excited about whatever they concocted, and it seems like they're going to try to get you to look at whatever it is as soon as possible." Gin said in a rather worried tone.

"Alright. I'll do my best to stay away as well. Thanks. I really appreciate it." Tsukune said.

"Hey, I'm your best friend. I'm not just going to do nothing, am I?" Gin replied with a small hint of humor in his voice.

It was enough to make Tsukune smile and he helped his weakened friend back up to his dorm room. Fighting the ghoul side of him from emerging had to have taken almost all his energy. He looked rather pale and moved lethargically.

"_I can only wonder though," _thought a rather relieved yet worried Gin, _"Almost all of the girls are in the same class as him. And I'm sure that this little fiasco hasn't been good for his seal. There's no doubt that it's much weaker now. I don't think it will be able to withstand another encounter like that. If I can't get to him before they swarm him at lunch or after school, there's no telling what kind of horrors will ensue."_

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><p>And cue end of chapter 4. Close call, wasn't it?<p>

For all of you who have read/are still reading this and have subscribed, don't worry, as I don't plan on turning this into a gay romance between our two male heroes. Otherwise there would be no need for the girls, so why else would I have gone to the trouble of putting them in here?

Also, I would like to announce that I went back over the first 3 chapters and revised grammar and spelling errors, so you can go take another look at it if you want to. If you didn't get it before, you will now. And if any of you would like to help or are just OCD about grammar/spelling, please read the chapters and PM me with any errors you find. I'll fix them. This will help to make this FanFic easier for all to understand, and let's face it, we've all read at least one Fic that had grammar/spelling that sucked. It's no fun for anyone. So if you wish to, help me in the revision and perfection of this FanFic.

For some odd reason, I feel compelled to share a favorite quote of mine:

"Be who you are and do what you feel, for those who mind don't matter, and those who matter won't mind."

-Dr. Seuss

As always, R&R, and read and review if it so pleases you.

PhoenixSpectre is out (for now). Peace!

Chapter 5 coming soon! Expect within the next 24-48 hours.


	5. Chapter 5: Breaking Point

Chapter 5: Breaking Point

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><p>Tsukune awoke the next morning feeling better than yesterday, but still weaker than normal. He went over to the bathroom and looked into the mirror. Thankfully, he didn't look pale anymore, so he wouldn't arouse suspicion from the girls in class or at lunch, should they manage to get him alone. He prayed that they didn't as he didn't want his seal to break.<p>

While eating breakfast in the dining area near the front door, he was greeted by a voice he knew all too well.

"Hey Tsukune. Sleep well?" inquired Gin. As per usual, he wore the customary school uniform but added his own little flair. He wore his jacket unbuttoned, his shirt not tucked in his pants, and had his own necklace on, visible through the neck of his shirt. He stood a bit taller than Tsukune.

"Yeah, for the most part. That whole dilemma with the girls yesterday was a really close call." Responded the black-haired ghoul. He hadn't yet got his full uniform on as he was still eating, but was wearing the pants, white shirt, and red tie from his uniform. He currently wore the shirt not tucked in like Gin's and the tie was tied rather loose around his neck. It was a casual look and it was also what he would wear whenever he wasn't at school.

"Well, just watch yourself. I'll be there too, so there's a pretty good chance that we can escape from all of this unscathed." Gin reassured.

"Alright. I'll try to find you at lunch before the girls catch up to me. I'm going to have to find a place to hide from them." Tsukune said, confirming plans that they had discussed the in the days prior, just in case the girl's attention returned to him, which seemingly it had.

"Yeah. And after school too. Then when the moon is high in the sky, we'll head over to the Headmaster's office building." Gin said, finishing the confirmation of their itinerary for the day.

"Sounds like a plan. Well, lets get to it." Tsukune said as he finished his last bite of breakfast. He proceeded to go up to his room and grab and put on his uniform jacket, tuck in his shirt, and tighten up his tie. When he came back down, Gin was still waiting for him. This surprised Tsukune, as Gin was normally already on his way to school if he woke up and was ready before him. It wasn't his custom to wait.

"Can't have you getting caught alone by the girls. Plus, I'm your friend." Gin said, answering the questions Tsukune was asking himself in his head.

"Thanks." replied Tsukune. They then proceeded to leave the boy's dorm, but they took a different route than normal to avoid the girls today.

They succeeded in giving Moka, Mizore, and Kurumu the slip, and they didn't have to worry about Ruby as she was probably working already, but they did end up running into Yukari and Kokoa who were talking while on their way to school. Still unnoticed, Gin slowed their pace a bit.

"We ought to wait until they get farther away." He cautioned.

"No, it'll be ok. I won't be having any of the guilty feelings I had yesterday while around Moka, Mizore, Kurumu, and Ruby. I only had them yesterday because all of the girls who were there were the ones who I felt bad about not giving a chance at a relationship. Basically because they were potential girlfriends. But I won't end up dating Kokoa or Yukari. They're a lot younger than me, so that would be weird. It should all be fine. I don't think I'll go ghoul." Tsukune reassured.

"Alright, but if anything odd starts to happen, I'm pulling you out of there." Gin said.

Fortunately, Tsukune was right. They went up to and greeted them both. Yukari was a little surprised because she didn't think anyone else walked to the school on this route, but got over it quickly enough. Kokoa didn't seem to particularly care and asked Tsukune if she could have a bit of blood. Tsukune naturally agreed, and the redheaded vampiress dug her fangs into his neck. After a few seconds, Kokoa withdrew her fangs slowly and licked her lips, careful so as not to waste any of Tsukune's delicious blood and also so as not to drip any on her signature red dress that she was wearing.

After walking for no more than a minute in silence, the whole group broke out into a conversation. They talked about homework and how they would rather be sleeping still than walking to school. Yukari, dressed in her black witch hat (which matched her black hair) and cape along with her normal shirt and skirt, inevitably ended up talking about what she heard from Moka yesterday.

"Moka said that you ran off in quite a hurry yesterday." Yukari stated.

"Yeah, I ended up not feeling well." Tsukune replied honestly. The whole 'coming down with a cold' ruse concocted by Gin hadn't been true, but the fact that the encounter left him dazed and weak was, in fact, true.

"Well, I hope you feel better. I can whip up something to help you if you like…" Yukari offered.

"No thanks, I'd rather just stick it out." Tsukune replied as nicely as possible. The real reason he denied the offer was that he had seen what some of Yukari's creations could do. One of said creations that Kokoa ended up testing made the user physically older for a short period of time, and then afterwards made them shrink to the size of a toddler. He wasn't too keen on having something odd happen to him right now. He had enough to worry about.

"You and Gin seem to be hanging out a lot more." Kokoa observed rather bluntly. "Any particular reason for that?"

"Nope, not really. It's just that we're the only male friends each other has." Gin said.

"Yeah. And I wanted to spend a little less time with the girls and a bit more time with my best friend. All the fighting they do gets to be a little much at times." Tsukune added.

"Alright. Just making sure you two haven't gone queer on us." Kokoa said.

"So what do you think is in store for us at school today?" Yukari asked.

Tsukune wasn't sure, but he prayed that it didn't include his seal shattering.

* * *

><p>Moka, Kurumu, and Mizore all ended up walking to school together. They had strengthened their bond as friends through this whole endeavor with the schedule, and they also were walking together just to make sure that none of the others were going to try and get closer to Tsukune behind their backs. Surprisingly enough to them, they hadn't seen Tsukune on their walk to school today. It was odd because they all knew that this was the route he always took.<p>

"Just thinking out loud here, but did anyone else find something the least bit odd about our encounter with Tsukune and Gin yesterday?" Kurumu asked. She had become a little uneasy because of Tsukune's strange behavior the other day and wanted to make sure that she wasn't just being paranoid because she hadn't seen Tsukune in awhile.

"Yes, I did." Moka answered. "Tsukune seemed to almost not be conscious. It was like he was a zombie or like he was sleep walking."

"Well we'll see him in class today, and assuming that we can talk to him at lunch, we'll try and explain this whole plan then." Mizore said.

They all nodded in agreement and walked on towards the school, but they all couldn't fight a rather uneasy feeling they shared. Something wasn't right with Tsukune, and worse still, they didn't know what that something was.

* * *

><p>In class, all the girls saw Tsukune and was glad that he seemed to be over the cold that Gin had mentioned the day prior. But something still seemed wrong. Tsukune was fixated on the board and was taking notes. He was actually<em> taking notes<em>! That wasn't normal for him. He normally was in a constant battle for consciousness with his head lying on either his hand or his desk. But now he was wide awake and actually paying attention in class. Something wasn't right.

Contrary to what they thought, Tsukune was only pretending to take notes, as he didn't want Miss Ririko irritated at him any further than she already was because of his nearly falling asleep in her class for the past few days. Looking as if he wasn't doing any work wouldn't help him any in that aspect. And the only reason that he wasn't locked in a half-conscious state that was constantly dwindling between being awake and asleep was because he was focused on keeping his seal safe.

He knew that if he ended up falling asleep and woke up when the bell rang, he'd have no chance of getting out of the classroom with just a bit of a head start on the girls. He also didn't avert his eyes from the board for fear that if he caught sight of Mizore, Moka, or Kurumu, he'd break down and his beast would be unleashed. In short, he was awake and paying attention out of sheer fear.

He began to pack his bag secretly in the few minutes before the end of class, hoping that none of the girls or Miss Ririko noticed so that he could get a few seconds of a head start on the girls. He furthermore was praying that should he not be able to get away, Gin would be there to help get him out of what would become a rather problematic situation. Again.

Tsukune kept one eye on the clock, and the second that the bell rang, he had grabbed his bag, thrown it over his shoulder, and made a rather speedy exit. Fortunately, everything seemed to go exactly as planned. Moka, Mizore, and Kurumu never expected him to get moving so fast, and they still needed to pack up. This gave Tsukune about a minute of a head start, but he ended up not needing the time after all, as Gin was at the door of his classroom within ten seconds of Tsukune's exit.

"Hey, man. Are you doing alright? Nothing happened? It's still you?" Gin asked, trying to get a quick update on the status of his friend.

"Yeah, I'm doing alright. No problems, fortunately. The girls are still packing up, so we should probably make use of this time and put some distance between us and them." Tsukune suggested.

Gin nodded, and they were off down the halls at a jogging pace. They quickly got lunch and found a good secluded area to eat at. They were fairly sure that the girls wouldn't find them here. And fortunately they were right. Tsukune began to feel better knowing that their hastily cobbled together plan was working for the most part.

"_So far, so good." _thought the ghoul. _"We might be actually be able to pull this off after all…"_

* * *

><p>The girls spent quite a bit of time searching for Tsukune before finally resolving to just eat lunch and hope to find him later in the day. At lunch, Kurumu wanted to take one more look at the schedule, and they ended up shifting a few things around. Now, Kurumu got Tsukune to herself on Tuesday, Moka still had Wednesday, Ruby now had Thursday, and Mizore had been bumped back to Friday, leaving Saturday, Sunday, and Monday as the days where they would all be around him together while trying with all their might not to injure each other.<p>

"Hey, did anyone else see Tsukune today? And did you guys tell him the plan yet?" Ruby asked as she sat down at the table with her friends. Fortunately, she had the same lunch as all students, so she was able to talk to her friends at that time.

"Well Yukari and I saw him on the walk to school this morning, and I got a bit of a snack." Kokoa replied. She then proceeded to stick her tongue out at Moka, who she knew would have been jealous of that. Moka hadn't had even a drop of Tsukune's blood since before the planning of the schedule began.

"And Mizore, Moka, and I saw him in class today, but not during the walk to school. He seemed to be in a rush when he left class today, because right as the bell rang, he was packed and out of the room before we even knew it. We tried to find him, but we couldn't, so we just decided to have lunch and tell him after school. And we changed up the schedule a bit. Are you still okay with it?" Kurumu asked.

Ruby looked at the new revisions to the schedule and nodded in agreement. They all sat down and continued eating, wondering what Tsukune could be up to.

"Does anyone else think that it almost seems like Tsukune is trying to avoid us?" Mizore inquired, saying what they were all thinking.

"Yes, it does seem like that. I mean, first he was acting odd and wasn't responding when we found him with Gin yesterday and they both left in quite a hurry. Now we can't even find him today. It's almost like he's trying to hide something from us." Moka replied.

"Well we can ask him when we show him the schedule after school today." Kurumu said.

They all agreed to that, but none of them could shake the ominous feeling that had grown inside of all of them. Something wasn't right with Tsukune, and he was trying to hide it from them.

* * *

><p>The second half of the school day was just like the first. The girls noticed that Tsukune was paying attention to the teacher and not sleeping. Again. That wasn't normal behavior for him.<p>

Tsukune sat in his seat, happy that lunch had passed uneventfully and that the girls hadn't found them. Gin's hiding spot in a tree on the opposite side of the school's outdoors eating area ended up working perfectly as none of the girls found him. He had a growing feeling of guilt in him because of his extreme efforts to avoid his friends. He hoped that he hadn't hurt their feelings very much.

The teacher continued to teach, Tsukune continued to pay attention, and Kurumu, Moka, and Mizore continued to wonder what Tsukune was hiding. They hoped that they would find out soon enough. This time, they had prepared themselves as well. Like Tsukune, they had packed their bags a few minutes prior to the bell, and when the bell rang, they were right behind Tsukune.

The young ghoul didn't even notice that they were on his tail until Moka called his name. He froze in his tracks, stricken with fear. He had to say hello or something, but doing so could cause him to loose it. He slowly turned around, praying that Gin would show up with a good excuse before he got a glimpse of their faces.

To his dismay, Gin didn't show up and he ended up looking at all of them. He was already hard at work trying to shove his feelings of guilt to the farthest corner of his mind, and fortunately, he was able to do so and retain some ability to focus and communicate for a few seconds and greet them.

"Hey. How are you guys doing?" Tsukune asked, clenching up as he struggled to suppress the beast and communicate with his friends at the same time. He felt his feelings grow stronger and a familiar sensation overcome him as he demonic side became present and was struggling for control, despite his efforts to fight it.

"We've been fine, but we really want to know about where you've been and what you've been doing." Mizore replied.

"Yeah. It kind of feels like you've been trying to avoid us." Kurumu added.

That had done it. He couldn't fight the feelings of guilt anymore, and now instead concentrated on fighting the rise of the ghoul in him.

Fortunately, Gin had just turned the corner in the hallway behind Tsukune. He noticed that the girls had beaten him to his friend this time and that Tsukune's head had lowered to focus at a single point on the ground just like yesterday. He knew that Tsukune was now trying to fight the ghoul again. He quickly ran up to intervene.

"Hey everybody! What's going on?" Gin asked in a rather flustered tone.

"Nothing, Gin. We're just asking Tsukune where he has been and what he's been doing lately." Kurumu replied.

"We told you, we've been hanging out together. That isn't a crime, is it?" Gin said, trying his best to sound offended.

"Yeah, but you guys left pretty quickly when we approached you guys yesterday." Moka observed. "What's been going on?"

Gin quickly glanced left at Tsukune. Fortunately, the girls still weren't standing where they could see Tsukune start to transform, just like yesterday. His friend was starting to lose the battle in his head. Gin had to act fast.

"We had homework is all. Lots of homework." Gin lied.

"I thought that yesterday you said that Tsukune was feeling a little ill." Kurumu said.

"Well… yeah, there was that too…" Gin began.

"What has you so flustered? And why are your stories mixed up?" Mizore asked, trying to call Gin's bluff.

Almost right as she spoke, Tsukune's legs grew weak and he nearly collapsed, but Gin caught him from behind.

"Tsukune!" Moka cried in a worried tone. "Are you alright?"

"We have to get going. I'll take him to the nurse." Gin lied. "Bye."

He slung one of Tsukune's arms around his neck and helped his friend walk down the hallway and leave the building. The girls just stood where they were, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

"He's lying to us, isn't he?" Moka asked rhetorically.

"Yup. Those two are hiding something." Kurumu said.

Ruby had just rounded the same corner that Gin had when coming to meet the group, and saw the ghoul and werewolf leave the building.

"What happened?" the Witch asked.

"I don't know. But we're going to find out what it is. And I think I know just how to do so." Mizore said.

* * *

><p>Gin walked his friend back to the boy's dorms and they went inside. He went over to a sofa in what served as the living room for the dorm and laid Tsukune down. His friend's bite scar had completely formed, as had his fangs, and one of his eyes was crimson red. Hoping that the one eye that was still normal on his friend signified that his friend was still fighting and in control for the most part, the werewolf checked to see if his pal was okay.<p>

"Hey, Tsukune? You alright? Is it still you I'm talking to you here?" Gin asked urgently.

"Ch-check… s-seal…" Tsukune stuttered, barely able to spare time between his friend and the battle in his head.

Gin rolled up Tsukune's sleeve and took a look at the holy lock. It was all really cracked up and damaged, but as he examined all of the links, he noticed that part of one had broken off, and that other links would be able to slip through the gap in the one link. He knew what would happen if he let the links come undone and the seal fall off, so he hurried around the dorm, searching for something that he could use to make sure that the chain wouldn't come undone through the gap in the damaged link. He ended up settling for a piece of tape since he couldn't find better and hastily taped over the gap. He then checked on his friend again.

"Hey, I've got a temporary fix on your seal. One of the links started to get weak. Are you going to be okay?" Gin asked in a rather worried tone.

"G-ghoul still… f-fighting… still s-strong…" Tsukune said.

Apparently Gin's fix was preventing the release of the ghoul, since it kept the holy lock from falling off, but without the full seal, the ghoul was still able to fight for control with much strength. Tsukune had to keep resisting. He wouldn't be returning to normal any time soon.

"Don't worry buddy, I'm here. I'll watch over you. Just keep fighting the good fight. Don't let that monster escape." Gin said, reassuring his friend.

Tsukune nodded and then became still, his eyes not even blinking. He was still awake, but he was far from reality right now.

Gin looked at his watch.

"_About four to five hours before the moon will be up. Hang in there buddy. We're almost through this…"_

* * *

><p>And end Chapter 5. Getting kind of intense, isn't it?<p>

I've discovered a new band called the Sick Puppies, and I like their song called War. I've been listening to stuff like that for a while now, and I have some great ideas for a fight scene. I have to get Tsukune and everyone through all of this first though, so hang in there with me.

I also am happy as my weekend officially begins after two o'clock tomorrow afternoon, so I'll be able to write even more.

I'd also like to personally thank all of you who have made this story your favorite or me as one of your favorite authors or for putting and alert on either the story or me. Everytime I get an email saying that one of you has done that, it makes me feel really good and inspires me to continue with this Fic. I'd also like to give extra thanks to those who reviewed the story, though your numbers are few (last I checked, only 2 people have reviewed, though one guy reviewed twice), as it's good to know what others think about my story and where I'm going with it.

Since it seems that no one wishes to, I won't ask anyone to review, though I hope you all are still reading.

As always, R&R (rest and relax). PhoenixSpectre signing off for now.


	6. Chapter 6: By The Fangs Of The Werewolf

Chapter 6: By The Fangs Of The Werewolf

* * *

><p>Gin continued to sit with his best friend, who was completely incapacitated on the couch in the living room area of the boy's dorm by his battle for control with the ghoul in him. The werewolf had flipped on the TV and was watching some anime show that he wasn't familiar with. He was a little to preoccupied to care anyways. He checked his watch again: it was now half past six. They had been sitting here since school ended almost three and a half hours ago. The moon wouldn't be high in the sky until at least two to two and a half hours from now. They still had a lot of time to wait until they could head over to the Headmaster's office building.<p>

Things had been calm since they had got back to the dorm. Tsukune, who's body had been shaking earlier as a result of his difficult mental fight with the ghoul form locked away inside him, had stopped shaking, a testament to prove that he had started winning the fight in his head. But without his full holy lock, as one link of the chain was damaged earlier, he still wasn't able to focus on anything but keeping the monster in him locked down. He was still showing signs that proved the ghoul had attempted to take over: the bite scar on his neck had formed, he now had fangs, his hair wasn't it's normal black but was now a shade of grey, though not completely silver like in his ghoul form, and one of his eyes brown eyes had changed color to a bloody crimson red.

Gin hadn't left his best friend's side since he had sat him down on the couch. He was worried sick about Tsukune, and from the looks of things, any more incidents and that was the end of his best friend. He refused to let that happen.

* * *

><p>Out of the window, Moka, Mizore, Ruby, and Kurumu all sat on the ground, biding their time to see what was going on. They had shown up not twenty minutes ago, so all they saw was what seemed like Gin and Tsukune watching TV. Mizore didn't believe that nothing else was going to happen though, and decided to have them wait for a bit longer to see if there was anything out of the ordinary happening.<p>

"What are they doing now?" Kurumu asked while sitting on the ground. She had become bored after the first five minutes and wasn't even bothering to look in the window.

"They're still just sitting there and watching TV…" Moka answered as she slumped down under the windowsill like Kurumu.

Mizore kept her gaze fixated on the ghoul and the werewolf.

"There's got to be something going on…" She trailed off.

"How do you do it?" Kurumu cut in.

"Do what?" Mizore asked.

"How can you do this all day long? I mean, I was all for your idea of stalking them to find out what was going on, but this is boring me out of my mind! How do you manage to do this all day without becoming bored?" Kurumu inquired.

"You just have to have patience. I also believe that if I wait long enough, something interesting is bound to come up, and I'll have a front seat to it all." Mizore replied.

"Well that's great and all, but I'm getting really bored just doing this. Maybe we should stop…" Kurumu suggested.

"Hey, do you want to find out what's up with Tsukune or not?" Mizore shot back.

"Alright, fine. I'll stay here. But I'm just going to sit here below the window. I don't believe that I can even handle trying to watch him endlessly anymore, no matter how much I love him." Kurumu said.

"But you were only watching him for about five minutes…" Ruby observed. She had been slumped under the windowsill just like Kurumu and Moka.

"It's because I can't talk to him or give him a hug or anything. I like looking at him and I obviously love him, but just sitting on the sidelines not doing anything with him or talking to him just isn't enough for me." Kurumu explained.

"Well I'll keep an eye out then. Take a nap if you three want to. I'll wake you up if I see anything happen." Mizore said.

* * *

><p>Gin went over to the dormitory's pantry and got himself a light snack, then returned to his friend.<p>

"You still doing alright?" he asked.

Tsukune managed to nod, still obviously busy with his ghoul side. Gin sat back down beside his friend and continued to munch on his snack and watch the TV. Had they looked out the window behind the sofa they were sitting on, they would have noticed the purple haired Snow Maiden keeping an attentive watch on the both of them.

After three more hours, most of the other boys in the dormitory had retreated into their rooms to sleep or do whatever it was that they had settled on doing for the rest of the evening, be it video games or reading a book. Gin was still sitting with Tsukune on the sofa and watching the TV. Mizore was still watching over them both from the window behind them. Moka, Ruby, and Kurumu had been claimed by sleep about an hour ago, and each was laying on either side of the Snow Maiden between the hedges and the window that Mizore was peering through.

Gin checked his watch again, which now read half past nine. He turned around to look out the window, and Mizore barely ducked in time to avoid Gin detecting her. The werewolf looked up into the sky and saw that the full moon had now climbed high into the sky, and better yet, there were no clouds to block the moon's beams. It was time to get going.

"Hey, Tsukune. You still with me buddy?" Gin asked.

All he got was a quick raise and lower of the head, which hardly qualified as a nod. Tsukune had been awake for the whole time in a sense, but his consciousness wasn't in the real world. It was in his head, fighting off the demon in him. He had been repelling the ghoul nature with a substantially weakened seal for almost six hours now, and he was starting to grow fatigued. He knew he couldn't hold out much longer.

The very subtle nod that Tsukune was able to produce was enough for Gin, who had risen from his position to left of Tsukune on the couch.

"Alright then. It's time to go buddy. Let's go see the Headmaster to end all of this madness." Gin said. He proceeded to bend down, shoulder Tsukune's left arm, and help him walk out of the room, towards the door that led in and out of the dormitory in the next room over.

* * *

><p>"Hey, you three, get up." Mizore whispered.<p>

The Witch, the Succubus, and the Vampiress didn't even budge. They were all in a deep sleep.

"Alright. I don't want to do this, but we've got to get moving." Mizore said. She then formed three pieces of ice and dropped one down the back of each sleeping girl's shirt.

They all woke up with a start at the extremely cold feeling that had just passed down each of their spines. They all turned to Mizore and shot her mean looks, but the Snow Maiden ignored them and pointed to the window. The three of them got up to the window and looked into it. They had barely enough time to see just a glimpse of Tsukune and Gin walking out of the room. They all turned back to Mizore.

"Ok. Now that all of you are awake, we need to keep following them but keep out of sight. No matter what happens, do not intervene in anything that might happen. Gin will be able to take care of them both if they are confronted. He's a werewolf, and there's a full moon out, after all. Tsukune seems either weak or hurt, as Gin has to shoulder him and help him walk. What we need to find out is where they're going and why Tsukune seems hurt."

"Wow. You gathered all that information from just two seconds of observation?" Kurumu asked, flabbergasted that Mizore was able to pick up on so much.

"It comes with the stalking ability. Now let's get after those two." She replied, and the four of them stole off into the night.

* * *

><p>Gin and Tsukune trudged through the forest outside of school at a snail's pace, unable to go any faster due to Tsukune's poor condition. Gin hated seeing Tsukune in this state, knowing his friend could crack any second and then he himself would be in for a world of hurt. With every step, more fear was absorbed by the werewolf. He feared that they might not even make it to the Headmaster's office building and his friend's will would break while in his arms and that he would transform and beat him to death. He feared that after doing that he would proceed to do the same to the girls. But most of all, he feared that he would loose his best friend. He wasn't about to let that happen.<p>

"Hey, buddy. Are you alright? Hanging in there?" Gin asked worriedly.

"Y…y…yeah…" Tsukune stuttered.

"Just hang on. We're almost through this." Gin reassured. In reality, they were still quite far from the Headmaster's building, but he did his best to reassure his friend and raise his spirits, if only slightly.

They continued trudging onwards. Every now and again, a snapping twig or the rustling of grass could be heard, and they would pause so Gin could make sure that no one was trying to attack them. He could fend them off, but they really didn't have the time. After surveying the area for a few short seconds, convinced that there was nothing, Gin continued onward with Tsukune in tow.

* * *

><p>"Stop! Stop now!" Mizore whispered.<p>

Gin had stopped to look back behind him. He must have heard something. They were being to loud. Or at least, Moka, Kurumu and Ruby were, anyways.

"You three have to be silent when you move. We almost were caught there." Mizore whispered.

"Well it isn't as easy for us! We don't have as much practice at this as you do!" Kurumu shot back.

"Shut it!" Mizore whispered to Kurumu while eyeing the boys. The succubus almost blew their cover with her outburst.

"Just please do your best to not talk or make too much noise right now. We're so close to finding out what they're hiding. I really don't want all of this effort to go to waste now." Mizore said.

"Alright. We'll be silent as mice." Ruby whispered.

The other two girls nodded and they all continued tailing Tsukune and Gin.

* * *

><p>Gin, still shouldering his friend, continued onwards up the path until the Headmaster's building was in sight. He was relieved. It was going to end fine. Tsukune was still doing well at keeping the ghoul back, or it seemed like it to Gin anyways, so he picked up the pace just a little, eager for this whole fiasco to be over.<p>

They all approached, girls still following, but much more silently due to the close call earlier, and they could see Headmaster Mikogami standing outside of the building, waiting for the werewolf and the ghoul. As Gin exited the tangle of trees into the clearing that surrounded the front of the Headmaster's building, the girls stayed behind, as there would be no way to remain out of sight except by hiding behind one of the trees at the edge of the clearing. They wouldn't be able to conceal themselves if they followed into the clearing. Gin, still carrying his friend by an arm, approached the Exorcist.

"Well, well. It's about time. I was starting to think you might not show..." the Headmaster joked. "How have you been, Gin?"

"I've been doing fine, but the real worry right now is Tsukune." Gin replied in an urgent tone.

"What's wrong?" asked the Headmaster.

"Take a look." the werewolf replied, reorienting Tsukune so that the Headmaster could see his face.

"Oh my, that doesn't look to good at all..." the Headmaster said, as he examined the bite scar on Tsukune's neck, his now almost silver hair, the fangs he had grown, and the one eye that had turned blood red. Tsukune's head slumped back down so that he was looking at the ground.

"Yeah. I don't know how long he has left." Gin said.

"Tsukune? Are you in there? And is it you I'm talking to? Can you send me some kind of sign to let me know it's still you in there?" the Headmaster asked the paralyzed ghoul.

They waited for a few seconds after the Headmaster had asked his question, and then they saw Tsukune raise his head, which took quite a lot of the strength he had left, and give them both a weak smile.

"Well that if that doesn't mean that he's still in there, nothing in this world does." Gin replied, who returned Tsukune's smile.

"Indeed. Let me take a look at his seal..." the Headmaster said, rolling up Tsukune's sleeve in the process. He saw that everything was about as cracked as it could get, including the lock. He also noticed the piece of tape covering one of the links.

"That was me." Gin said as he noticed the Headmaster's gaze locked on the piece of tape. "I didn't want it to fall off."

"Well you did the right thing. It might not have as much power, but at least the whole seal hasn't fallen off. Alright. Since we have the time, we're going to do this right, not fast. Here, give Tsukune to me. This is what you need to do..." the Headmaster said. Gin took his friend's arm off of his neck and slowly shifted him over so that now the Headmaster was supporting his friend as the Exorcist explained what had to be done.

* * *

><p>"I can't hear anything from this far away. What's going on?" Kurumu asked, eager for the status on her 'Mate of Fate'.<p>

"I can tell right now that whatever it is, it isn't good. I mean, the went to see the Headmaster. The _Headmaster_! You don't go to the Headmaster unless you've got a real problem." Moka stated.

"Did you hear about any of this?" Mizore asked, looking at Ruby. Shortly after realizing who the question was directed too, both Moka and Kurumu were staring at Ruby too.

"No, I didn't. The Headmaster doesn't tell me anything except what he wants me to do, and that is mostly filing papers all day. It's not like I have his whole schedule for every single day." Ruby responded, quelling the suspicions that she might have known about this.

"Tsukune seems in pretty bad shape..." Moka observed.

"No way! I never would have guessed!" Kurumu nearly yelled in a sarcastic tone.

"Hey! Keep it down!" Mizore whispered. "They're doing something!"

* * *

><p>"Alright. Now let's fix up your friend. Gin, it's time for you to transform into your werewolf form." the Headmaster said, still supporting Tsukune.<p>

"Okay. Give me a second." Gin replied. He took a moment to look up at the moon and feel the power of the moon's beams course through him. He also took off his shoes. He didn't want to break another pair. Then he started to grow fur, a tail, and a small bit of height. His face morphed into a wolf's. His hands became furry with claws and his feet grew while sprouting hair and sharp nails as well. Had he not taken off his shoes, they would have been turned in to shreds of fabric. "Wow. This feels good. I haven't done this in a while. Okay, I'm a werewolf. Now what?"

"Now you need to bite your friend. Tsukune? Can you raise your right arm?" the Headmaster asked.

Tsukune gave a slight nod, and with the last of the physical strength he had, he raised his right arm so that it was horizontal. The Headmaster nodded to Gin, silently giving him the permission to either save his friend or create a nearly unbeatable demon out of him. But the Headmaster was here, so if it didn't work, he'd just paralyze Tsukune or something. Right?

The werewolf slowly walked over to his friend's outstretched arm, rolled back the sleeve, prayed for the best, and sunk his fangs into his friend, beginning the transformation process. He wasn't sure if it was because he had bitten rather lightly and slowly or because Tsukune's mind was somewhere else, but his friend didn't even flinch as he bit him.

* * *

><p>All of a sudden, the Headmaster and Gin heard screams from behind a tree, which was then blown to splinters, and Mizore, Moka, Kurumu, and Ruby charged at Gin, weapons bared, with killing intent.<p>

"Don't worry about them. Here. Take Tsukune and don't take your fangs out until I tell you to." the Headmaster ordered.

Gin grabbed and supported what the Exorcist had been holding of his friend and stayed perfectly still, keeping his fangs rooted in his skin. The Headmaster then proceeded to draw his rosary and point it at the girls who were advancing at a very quick pace. He then put a barrier around them that simultaneously stripped them of their powers for the time being and restricted their movement save that of the area of the barrier. It was the same one he had used when Tsukune and his friends had revealed the rat in the student council and brought him to the Headmaster. Only this time, it wasn't going to be broken. The girls had no idea how to do that.

They could only watch in horror as one of the people they previously thought of as a friend bit into the skin of the one that all of them loved. They didn't even get to show him their resolve to end their quarrelling. Or at least reduce it anyways. They were only able to think of how happy he could have been after seeing the schedule they made, believing that this was the end of their friend. Though they were wrong, the thought made all of them mad, and they rushed forward and beat at the barrier with all their strength, screaming at Gin and the Headmaster in the process. The barrier repelled them backwards every time, but they just got back up and did it again.

* * *

><p>After about two minutes, the Headmaster told Gin to remove his fangs. The werewolf did as he was told. The girls were all lying on the ground inside the seal. They had been worn out of most of their energy. Gin had set his friend on the ground on his back. The Headmaster dropped the seal on the girls, who, realizing that they could now get to Tsukune, found new strength and rushed towards him, ignoring Gin. For the moment anyways. Gin then returned to his human form and walked over to his friend.<p>

The Headmaster rolled up Tsukune's right sleeve. The holy lock was gone. He searched around on the ground near where they all were gathered, found it, and picked it up. Gin had done exactly as instructed, and one of his fangs had pierced the fractured chain of the holy lock, releasing the ghoul to be immediately suppressed afterwards by Gin's werewolf essence that had been injected by his fangs when he bit his friend. Though Gin's fangs were large, only a minimal amount of blood was shed by Tsukune from the wound. In fact, it was already healing and beginning to close up.

"_Now we can only wait and see if we've saved him or killed ourselves and everyone at this school." _thought the Exorcist.

"Wait, if that's his seal you're holding, why isn't he a ghoul and attacking all of us?" Moka asked the Headmaster.

"Forget that, why did Gin bite Tsukune? Gin, I believe that whether or not Tsukune pulls through this, we are all going to murder you!" Kurumu shot at Gin in a rather cold tone.

"And why did you stop us from intervening Headmaster? Gin just bit Tsukune!" Ruby cried, shocked that the Headmaster had let Gin bite her friend.

"You four don't understand. What Gin just did was to save Tsukune's life. Well, his soul anyways. I intervened so that you four wouldn't interrupt him and risk losing Tsukune forever."

"What? We almost killed Tsukune by trying to stop whatever just happened?" Mizore asked, tears forming in her eyes.

"No, you wouldn't have killed him, but the consciousness that you know of as him would have been destroyed by his ghoul nature."

The girls turned to look at Tsukune with worry in their eyes.

"Tell us." Mizore said, still staring at the one she loved.

"Tell you what?" Gin asked.

The Snow Maiden looked up at him and locked him in a cold, unforgiving stare.

"Tell us what you have been hiding amongst the three of you." She said with a nearly heartbroken tone in her words.

"That might get a bit complicated…" Gin began.

"Allow me, Gin." The Headmaster offered.

But before he could begin the story, their friend started to change. He, like Gin earlier, had started to sprout fur, though his was silver. His fingernails turned into claws. His feet grew to a point that his shoes were torn into strips of fabric that fell off of his feet, which were covered in hair. The toenails had also grown much longer and sharper. His head had morphed into what looked like a wolf's, with furry, pointed ears, and complete with a set of pearly white, razor sharp fangs. His torso and legs began to grow, and his shirt was torn to shreds. His pants had stayed on, fortunately, though Tsukune's legs definitely filled them out more now. His whole body had become quite muscular in the whole transformation. He now lay in a pile of shredded clothing, looking like a giant wolf. If he stood up, he would have been over seven feet tall.

Even Gin was shocked. Not even he was as massive as Tsukune's werewolf form. He expected him to look like a werewolf, but he didn't expected him to be a giant. He also didn't expect the silver fur. That was strange. He could feel energy radiating from his friend. He knew that he wasn't like a normal werewolf. He was wondering if this had something to do with the ghoul in him.

The girls had turned to look at Gin with looks that could kill. He could only point at the Headmaster, trying to silently say that he had no idea what was going on, and that they should be talking to him. The Succubus, the Witch, the Vampiress, and the Snow Maiden turned to look at the Headmaster.

"What exactly does this mean?" Kurumu asked the Headmaster, gesturing to the giant wolf that was their friend.

"I believe that this means your friend has become much more than I planned. I'll need to check a few things out about him once he wakes up and gets better." The Headmaster replied. Though they couldn't see his face, the girls and Gin knew that he was smiling.

"Is he going to be okay?" Mizore asked, tears forming in her eyes.

"He'll be much more than okay, children. He'll be just fine."

* * *

><p>And that wraps up Chapter 6. Our hero is okay! Yay!<p>

I had you guys going there for a bit didn't I? Come on, admit it. Some of you WERE thinking he wasn't going to pull through. Anyways, this isn't nearly the end. It's just the tip of the iceberg as they say, so expect more chapters. If I don't fall victim to my Xbox 360 and the game Brink (I will try to fight the call as much as I can), I should be writing lots of chapters, since my weekend has just begun.

Thanks to all who have read/subscribed/replied so far, as it makes me feel good, seeing as this IS my first Fic after all. Extra thanks to all of you who replied, as I appreciate the input and your thoughts on the story. To those of you who have read but haven't replied, don't feel bad. I feel good just knowing that people are reading my story.

As always, R&R (rest and relax) you all. PhoenixSpectre signing off for now.

Chapter 7 arriving in possibly the next few hours. See you all soon!


	7. Chapter 7: Aftermath

Chapter 7: Aftermath

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><p>Tsukune awoke in what couldn't be described better than nothingness. There was nothing anywhere but the color white. Even though he felt as if he was standing, he couldn't be sure because what seemed to be the floor was white. He didn't even have a shadow.<p>

The last thing he remembered was a being in a place covered in shadow, fighting a monster human in form, but completely demonic in thought. They traded blows, and for the most part, he was winning. Right up until the point where he felt a sharp pain on his forearm. He looked and saw a crescent outline of fang marks on either side of his forearm. Worse still, his holy lock had fallen off. The being suddenly rushed at him and seemed to go through him, and he fell backwards to the ground as this happened. Then everything went black. All of that had been his mind's battle with the ghoul nature. It had all seemed so real, yet it was just how his mind had set it up.

And now he was standing here, in this godforsaken white void with a million questions racing through his mind so fast it made him dizzy. What happened? Where was he? Did the ghoul win? Where were the others?

"Hello?" Tsukune called. Nothing responded. "Hello?" He called again, this time so loud it hurt his throat.

"Well there's no need to yell." a voice said from behind him.

Tsukune spun on his heel, startled. Behind him was a werewolf. This werewolf seemed a bit different from how Gin normally was, when he was a werewolf. The fur was a bright silver that seemed to almost glow. If it was in light, he was sure that it would have glowed. Instead of being about six feet high, as normal werewolves were, or at least, as Gin was, this one stood almost seven and a half feet tall, even when hunched over. Its eyes were blood red. It started to approach him, and Tsukune didn't move, mostly out of fear.

"Well? Aren't you going to freak out or ask me a question or something?" the werewolf asked, in a rather sarcastic tone.

"Uhh…" Tsukune began. He was trying to think over his words so as not to offend this monster, who he was almost sure could shove a fist straight through his chest without even trying.

"Oh, wait. I get it. I'm dead. Whatever happened back with Gin and the Headmaster failed, and I'm dead. And you're here to punish me for my sins or whatever. Awww crap. Well that really sucks." Tsukune said in a sarcastic and annoyed tone.

"Hey, chill. You aren't dead. Well, to my knowledge anyways." the werewolf responded.

"Oh yeah. THAT inspires confidence. Thanks." Tsukune retorted, scared and a little annoyed by the werewolf's response.

"Hey, you've got questions, I've got answers. You can sit there thinking you're dead or you can ask me what you want to know. By the way, seeing as you ARE here, I don't think you can be dead. And if you still want to believe the whole 'I'm dead' scenario, kindly shut up and do the talking in your head. I don't need to hear any of that, and it'll get annoying real fast." the werewolf shot back, scratching the claws on one hand together as he neared and was now standing about half a foot away from Tsukune.

Tsukune was a little offended by how forward the werewolf was, but didn't object to the beast, as he had to look almost straight up at the werewolf to look him in the eyes. He also made a note to keep a careful eye on the sharp claws attached to the beast, and he carefully chose what to say next.

"Well, I guess that the whole 'I'm probably not dead' thing makes me feel a little better. Okay then, for starters, where the heck am I? Or rather, where the heck are we?" He said, altering his question so as to include the werewolf, out of respect that was generated from fear.

"We're in the abyss. I came here a while back to escape prejudice. Now, whenever new guys end up getting themselves awakened, I get them up to speed when they're unconscious, sleeping, or anything like that."

"So I'm not awake right now, but I'm talking to you? So all of this is in my head? It's all fake?" Tsukune asked.

"Oh no, all of this is very real. And not in your head. Long story short and annoying magical concepts aside, your consciousness has been transported to this place so I can give you the run down." the silver werewolf replied, gesturing to the white void.

"And what do you mean by new guys?" Tsukune added.

"We'll get into that a bit later. Next question." the werewolf replied.

"Okay, what happened?" Tsukune inquired.

"From what I got, you were fighting that monster in your head, and your friends showed up, and then you went unconscious. By the way, your whole memory of a 'place covered in shadow' with you fighting a 'human-like monster' was your mind's battle with that ghoul form. Your head was so wrapped up with that, so it didn't catch most of whatever else was going on. Unfortunately, I know what happens through what you saw or heard happen, so all I've got to work with is your memories from your brain that was scrambling itself because of the fight between you and the ghoul."

"Wait, how do you know about my ghoul?" Tsukune asked, shocked that anyone outside of his circle of friends knew about his condition.

"That's for a bit later as well. Next question."

"Alright, who are you?" the human asked.

"My name is Lycaon. I'm the first in a long line of werewolves with powers unmatched by any monster in the world today. I was alive when the Greeks and Romans were still fighting wars and junk. After a while on Earth, normal people ended up hating me, so I resolved to transport myself to this place where they couldn't get to me. Now I give the run down to people who end up here, like yourself. And I must say, it is both very kind and refreshing to have someone actually ask about me for a change." the werewolf answered with a smile. This raised Tsukune's spirit's a bit, and made him believe less and less that he might be this monster's dinner tonight.

"Why am I here?" Tsukune inquired.

"Good question. While on Earth, I did, uhh… how can I put this… I 'hooked up' with a number of girls, though I must say have nothing on the ones you've got following you. They had my children, who had my children, and after a very long time, you ended up being born with my blood inside you somewhere. Now normally, the power of the blood of mine that my descendants have in them is just used to pump their hearts. But every now and again, a random occurrence or some insane luck will have someone with my blood bitten by another werewolf, which awakens the true power. The power of the Lycaon, which, yes, is a type of werewolf named after myself. The world's first and original badass, if you will. And you've got that power in you. There are a bunch more details, but I'll get to those a bit later. Bring on the next question." Lycaon said.

"How do you know about everything that has happened in my life?" Tsukune asked.

"That's an easy one. I've been watching you since you were born. Since you share my blood, and since I have had an immense amount of time to practice my abilities here, I'm able to basically get inside of your head and see what you see. Except when you're sleeping or like you were when fighting off the ghoul, in which case I only see what your mind is projecting. I will say that I never liked seeing your thoughts as a ghoul. They're always about death and blood and stuff like that. And I also must add that those dreams that you have about the different girls at night are…"

"Okay, stop it man! That's not relevant to what we're talking about at all here!" Tsukune cut in before Lycaon described the fantasies he had often dreamed up about Ruby, Moka, Mizore, and Kurumu in great detail. Lycaon started chuckling, and soon broke out in laughter.

"Oh boy, that sure had you flustered, didn't it? I mean look at you! You're as red as a tomato!" Lycaon cackled. "Come on, it's alright. We're all guys here."

Tsukune was still red in the face and almost regretting that this werewolf he had come to know as his ancestor in a short time could see into his dreams.

"That's... just... that's a little too embarrassing for me to talk about." Tsukune replied.

"Hey, you're a teenage boy. It has to cross your mind at some point." Lycaon answered with a great deal of understanding in his words. That gave Tsukune a bit of comfort.

"I must say though, the ones with Kurumu are my favorite."

"Hey!" Tsukune yelled, turning redder than seemed humanely possible. Lycaon just stood in front of him, ecstatically consumed in his laughter.

"Ha ha ha! Oh man… I'm sorry. It's just that being here for a long time and not having much company, you take what entertainment you can get. And this is hilarious! I mean look at you! It's like all of your blood is in your face right now!" Lycaon cackled. "Oh man… well, all joking aside though, you've probably got more questions. What's next?"

Tsukune was still beet red from Lycaon's rather crude and personal jokes, but his face gradually returned to normal and he proceeded to ask more of his questions.

"Well, can you go in depth more about the other stuff earlier? Like the 'new guys' thing and what's going to happen with your blood in me and everything? Tsukune asked, eager to get answers.

"Alright. Well, first, I'll talk about the whole thing about 'new guys'. That's just what I call the tenderfoots who end up coming through here after being bitten by a werewolf, like you. There have been a few over the last thousand years. I think that the last one was sometime in the sixteen hundreds. You know, when Shakespeare was still around? If they were bitten, they ended up coming here after going unconscious or when they went to bed that night. I gave them the basic run down, like you're getting now. I must say though, your reaction is by far the best that I've ever had. All the others ended up freaking out and committed suicide when they woke up." Lycaon answered. "It doesn't make a guy feel very special when his descendants kill themselves just because they found out they were related to you."

"I bet…" Tsukune answered, feeling his ancestor's pain.

"But, hey, only morons commit suicide. You have to be exceedingly brain dead to take away your own life. And morons will be morons, so that's life, I guess. Anyways, now to the second thing. What was it again?" Lycaon inquired.

"You were going to elaborate on what makes me special and what will happen to me because of your blood in me awakening, granted I'm alive when I wake up." Tsukune reminded him.

"Ah. Yes. Well first, let's start with what is going to happen to you. Firstly, don't worry about your physical appearance, because that isn't going to change. However, you probably will look like me when you change into a werewolf. Well, possibly with a few deviations. I'm not sure if the whole bite scar on your neck will stay. If everything ended up working with sealing the ghoul, that ghoul essence will do little more to act as a trigger, a little voice inside your head that tells you to go all nuts and berserk on some fool's ass. Like if someone attacks one of the girls. Basically, you won't have to worry about the ghoul anymore, should everything work out, and I do believe it will, since I'm pretty sure that awakening MY essence is more than enough to put a miserable ghoul in its place. Not to steal that girl Moka's line or anything." Lycaon added. The joke made Tsukune laugh a little.

"But anyways, you'll have heightened senses. Your reaction time will be faster than anything you've ever seen, even from a monster. You'll also have what is commonly referred to as aerokinesis, which is control over storms. Rainstorms, hailstorms, lightning, gale-force winds, you name it. If it can be made by a storm, you can make it happen. Granted, you can only control the storms, not the elements. You should be able to use lightning for a variety of interesting things. I know that I did. Before you try any of that though, you'll want to summon some storm clouds, because you can't make a storm without them. The whole cloud summoning thing, the lightning, and wind are the only three things you can call on at will. All other things, like hail and rain and such, you'll need to summon some clouds for. You can only call on them in the form of a storm. A lot of the whole aerokinesis thing is based on ad-libbing and making up your own attacks though, so you'll have to try some of that." Lycaon said.

"Alright. Keep going…" Tsukune replied.

"You have limited control of the storms in human form, but you get a lot more control of them and the power is amplified when you become a werewolf. Also, when in your werewolf form and not under a full moon, you will surpass normal werewolves abilities in every area, from speed to power to everything else on the list. When you ARE under a full moon, your abilities and senses get heightened even further, making it nearly impossible to beat you, and that's saying something since it would already be nearly impossible to beat you as a werewolf that isn't under the influence of the full moon."

"Wow. So I'm, like, invincible?" Tsukune asked in disbelief.

"Well, yes and no. You see, you'll probably be able to beat the living tar out of any blockhead that is stupid enough to cross your path just by lifting your little finger. But the one problem you will face is recklessness. Though strong, our type of werewolf is very prone to getting a tunnel vision-like state in battle. You have to watch your back. Though you will be powerful, you're not made of stone, and you can get hurt, just like anyone else. You'll have to work very hard to get rid of the tunnel vision, like I did. Also, growing an insanely giant ego isn't out of the question when you're told you have this kind of power, so I have to try right now to tell you not to change, no matter how powerful you feel. Keep your morals, your mindset, everything that made you who you are. Don't loose yourself. Those are your only two weaknesses, and while they may not sound like much, they can be more deadly than water to a vampire if you don't watch yourself." Lycaon replied with quite a serious tone in his voice.

"Ok. I'll remember. And I won't loose who I am." Tsukune reassured his ancestor.

"So you've got all of that going for you, and you also have insane physical regeneration. In short, you'll heal faster and you'll probably end up living forever, like a Vampire. Or a Snow Maiden. Or a Succubus. Because given the right circumstances, all those types of monsters can live forever, too. Witches can live forever if they gain an extremely good mastery of their magic and use it on themselves properly." Lycaon added.

"I see what you're doing. You're trying to make me look like an idiot by getting confused about who I should choose." Tsukune replied, seeing right through the ancient werewolf's plan.

"Damn. We've only been talking for about fifteen minutes and you already can see through me. I've got to get some new material to use on you." Lycaon answered, confirming Tsukune's suspicions. They both got a good laugh out of it all, though.

"Anyways, on to the good stuff. I know this has all been a lot to take in, but are you still following me? Because it gets even harder to understand now." Lycaon asked his descendant.

"Yeah, I've got everything so far. You've been pretty clear." Tsukune responded.

"Alright then. Well, there is one very large factor that makes you different from any other person that has come to me before. And that would be the fact that you're a pure blood." Lycaon said.

"A what?" Tsukune asked.

"A pure blood. You see, my first children came to this world by the other first Lycaon in the world, who was a female. She ended up getting cocky in a battle and was killed by three vampires, though. But it's the children that we're interested in. Of course most of them were never awakened and lived happy lives and died happy as well. But the big thing here is that no matter what, Lycaon-type werewolves seem to be attracted to one another. Not emotionally, but in a different, metaphysical sense. So a couple of the first pure bred Lycaons got together and had children, while others got together with normal people or other monsters, but through every generation, no matter how far apart the family tree got, there ended up being at least one pure bred Lycaon getting together with another one of the opposite gender. Like your parents, who I might add haven't had their blood awakened, and I don't think that they'd care to either." Lycaon said.

"So basically, I'm completely Lycaon? A pureblooded Lycaon? No human or other monster thrown in? And my parents would be like us if their blood was awakened?" Tsukune asked in disbelief. The odds of that happening sounded nearly impossible.

"Yup. In a nutshell, yes. No matter how or why, I can't explain what ends up happening, but there's at least two pure bred Lycaons that are born and get together every generation. Or at least, there was." the werewolf said.

"What do you mean 'was'?" Tsukune asked.

"Well, werewolf attacks have been on the rise a lot in the human world recently, and out of dumb luck, all of your generation, the most recent i might add, was bitten and ended up coming to me, where they got scared and ended up committing suicide. Unless some people from the prior generation decide to have more kids, you are the only awakened Lycaon in the world. And being a purebred, your powers are everything I mentioned earlier multiplied almost to an undefinable level. But you still have to watch your weaknesses, or you'll end up dead." Lycaon added.

"Alright. It's just a lot to take in." Tsukune explained.

"It think it would be. I mean, you've just found out you're the ancestor of the world's most powerful monster, with whom you share one hundred percent of the same blood. So now that you have the full explanation, are you going to freak out and commit suicide like all of your other fellow Lycaons, or are you going to break the mold?" Lycaon asked, praying that his newest awakened descendant wouldn't end his own life.

"Are you kidding me? Now I can finally start repaying favors and protect my friends instead of always being protected by them! There's no way I'm giving this up!" Tsukune exclaimed.

"Yes! Thank God I finally got a sensible one!" Lycaon shouted, overjoyed that he finally had an awakened descendant that didn't want to kill himself.

"Alright. Well, thanks for the clarification of everything. Now what do I do?" Tsukune asked.

"You wake up. If you have any questions, try dreaming of this place at night. This empty white place. You should end up here and we can talk." Lycaon quickly explained. Then, Tsukune saw the world fade to black, and his ancestor wave goodbye as he exited the abyss.

* * *

><p>Tsukune woke up slowly and was just opening his eyes. He looked around and saw a familiar room around him. He felt the oddly comfortable feeling of a hospital bed under him, and the pain that was an I.V. needle in his arm. He closed his eyes again. He started to make a few groggy sounds and shift his position a bit. As he did, he heard a familiar voice.<p>

"Hey, Tsukune! You're awake! You're alive! And it is you right? Not that ghoul?" inquired an ecstatic Gin who was sitting to the right of his bed.

"Yeah, it's me." Tsukune replied, his eyes still not quite awake yet. "Where's the rest of the gang?"

"At school. The Headmaster said I could sit with you and see you pull through instead of going to class if I wanted to, and I accepted. I did this to you, and I couldn't leave you alone until I was sure you were better." Gin answered.

"Thanks, buddy. How long was I out though?" asked Tsukune, still with closed eyes and a groggy feeling in his voice and his body.

"About two days. Mizore, Moka, Kurumu, and Ruby have been in here every day after school to check on you. And I'd bet they've told Kokoa and Yukari by now, too, though I haven't seen those two come in yet. If they did tell them, they probably told them today, which is why I haven't seen them yet, unless those two are just choosing not to come." Gin said.

"Well I'm sure that everyone will be relieved when I'm out of this place." Tsukune said, trying to get out of his bed. Suddenly, a nurse rushed in after hearing some of the commotion.

"No. You can't get up. You aren't well enough yet. You'll need to go back to sleep." the nurse said flatly.

"Listen, I'm fine. I just need to get out of this bed…" but before Tsukune could finish, he received a rather large dose of anesthetic which started to send him under again. The nurse left the room and Tsukune began to slump back on to the bed which was way to small for his hulking frame.

"Hey, Gin, don't tell the girls yet. I want to be able to talk to them when they are here, not just get tranquilized back to sleep." Tsukune asked, losing consciousness rapidly.

"Alright, you've got it buddy. Anything else?" Gin inquired.

"Yeah." Tsukune replied. "I've got a weather report for you."

"A weather report?" Gin asked, confused.

"It is now snowing in hell. Eat your words, buddy." Tsukune chuckled as the anesthetic finally claimed his consciousness.

Gin could only smile as he watched the seven and a half foot tall beast that had become his friend fall back to sleep on the hospital bed.

* * *

><p>And end chapter 7. Sorry that went on for a while, but that was more of a slow chapter where I was able to explain some things to everybody. The dramaaction/romance, well, maybe romance stuff, will be picked up again and in chapters beyond.

First and foremost, if any of you have read it, the Lycaon werewolf variant in my story is borrowed from a friendly author who gave me the right to use it, and he goes by the name redwarrioroflight. I extend my thanks to him for letting me use that, and my apologies to all who think that it was about damn time I put the transformation in this fic.

As always, this is PhoenixSpectre signing off for now, reminding you to R&R (rest & relax). Keep it cool.

Chapter 8 on it's way. Expect it soon!


	8. Chapter 8: Return Of A Friend

Chapter 8: Return Of A Friend

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><p>The girls, minus Ruby, who had already begun work for the Headmaster at his office, began walking to school for the fourth day in a row without Tsukune. He hadn't been awake since Gin had bit him four nights ago. Now that they had to endure day after day without Tsukune, time seemed to pass extremely slowly, making the incident four nights ago seem more like four years ago. And they still waited for their friend to awaken.<p>

They visited him every day in his room in the hospital after school, but he still hadn't ever woken up since Gin's bite. Well, to their knowledge anyways. All they could do was look longingly at the giant beast that had been their friend a few nights ago, hoping he would awaken, and to a further extent, turn back into the normal human they all knew and loved. When they visited him, that is. They were on their way to class currently.

They were still enraged at Gin, but the Headmaster had explained to them what had been happening and the situation that their friend was in. That helped to lessen the amount of hate that they projected towards Gin. They also were surprised that Gin was showing so much care for his friend. He hadn't left the hospital room that their friend was in ever since he helped to lug his now seven and a half foot tall body to the hospital, where he now lay on a bed that they had seen was, in reality, way to small for a being of size.

They all went from one class period to the next, not able to focus at all on the subjects, mostly because of the immense feelings of depression that had grown in all of them. At lunch, they all sat at the same table, as was usual, and Kokoa, Ruby, and Yukari joined them. Yukari was distressed too, ever since she had heard the news from Moka two nights ago. Her sad feelings were nothing compared to those felt by Moka, Kurumu, Ruby, and Mizore, though. Kokoa was worried about her friend as well, but it was more of a worry over his blood. Her worried feelings for her friend were almost as minimal as they could be, but she was worried about him nonetheless. None of them talked. None of them even started a fight. They all just sat in a circle, at their table, eating.

The rest of the day went just like the beginning. All of the girls were lost in their thoughts about Tsukune. When school ended, they traveled through the winding paths rather hurriedly to the hospital. They went into the building and immediately went to Tsukune's room. They had memorized the room number, and they honestly didn't care whether they had permission from a nurse or doctor to go into Tsukune's room.

As they opened the door, they saw Gin, still sitting in the same chair against the wall that he had been in before, watching over his best friend. They entered the room, hoping to see their friend awake or human again, but to their dismay, a giant, silver, unconscious werewolf still occupied the hospital bed, which was way too small for such a massive being. They all looked longingly at the silver beast that they knew was their friend. He looked powerful now, but intimidating as well. They missed their old human-looking Tsukune. The beast that they thought to be their friend had an area of black fur on the right side of his neck that looked exactly like the tattoo-looking bite scar that he had in his ghoul form, a testament to the events he had already endured. He also had some circular black patches of fur on his forearm, signifying where his transformation began. The appearance of such an adversary would send chills down an enemy's spine

They all went up, one by one, planted a kiss on his cheek, and left the room. All they could do was hope for the best. That was all that they seemed ever able to do when it came to the troubles of the one that they loved. They all silently trudged back to the girl's dorm, their hearts heavy with despair.

* * *

><p>Tsukune, after being put under by the nurse for what he believed was the thirteenth time (he had lost track) was now back in the abyss again.<p>

"Awww… you must have really missed me. You're back AGAIN!" Lycaon chuckled from behind him.

"Yeah, yeah. So what are we going to talk about now?" Tsukune inquired of his ancestor.

"Well, I think I've told you just about everything I can tell you about what you can do now, what will happen to you as a result of this transformation, and what you'll need to watch out for on the field of battle. I mean, you've been in here with me over ten times. You've got all the info you'll need to be prepared."

"Well, I have a few more questions." Tsukune said.

"Alright. Ask away." Lycaon replied.

"Well, for one, is there a way that I'll be able to talk to you when I am awake? And I AM going to be able to return to a normal human, right?" Tsukune asked.

"I'm not very sure about the whole talking to you thing myself. I guess that it's possible now that you're an awakened Lycaon, but I might need to practice some of my abilities to see if I can do that. You'll definitely be able to turn back into a human, but what you'll need to do to change from human to werewolf is a matter of focus. You need to focus on being human to change back to your human form from your Lycaon form. And to change to your werewolf form, you just focus on being a Lycaon. It will become natural to you after a while and you'll be able to do it at will. Granted, if you go to sleep as a human and end up dreaming that you're a Lycaon, you're probably going to turn into your werewolf form in your sleep. Anything else?" Lycaon inquired of his descendant.

"Yeah. Can you tell me the story behind you?" Tsukune asked, eager to learn more of his ancestor.

Lycaon stood for a moment, his gaze locked on Tsukune. He had never felt such an odd mixture of happiness and confusion.

"Well I must say, you're the first who has actually wanted to get to know your family's history. Kudos to you for that pal." Lycaon answered in a happy tone.

"Hey, you've got to have pride in your family, right?" Tsukune said.

"Yeah, I guess you do. Too bad none of the other awakened ones thought that." Lycaon said with a hint of disappointment in his voice towards his many descendants who had killed themselves. "Well, the story begins way back when in the times when the Greeks and the Romans were still hashing it out. I was born back then. I didn't know my power at first, but gradually, I learned what I could do. For a time, I used my abilities to better myself, and I almost ended up taking over all of Greece. But before I went the last step, I ended up having a revelation. 'Why the heck are you doing this?' I asked myself. I could have been helping others with my powers. So I decided to give all of my kingdom and power to my second in command who you humans know very well, Julius Caesar."

"Wait, really? What about all the stories we hear about Caesar's rise to power and all of that?"

"They're all fake. I mean, did you really think he just got all that power that fast? Before I left, we had rumors spread around that he had risen to power and concocted the stories that are in your history books today. No one knew about me, as I kept to myself. I didn't want a reputation." Lycaon answered.

"But why not? You could have been a famous face in many of today's history books!" Tsukune exclaimed.

"A reputation is a very good way to get yourself killed. You become the most popular and powerful guy around, and people start to fear or hate you. And then all of a sudden, you've got a knife in your chest. Just like Caesar got. So I ended up stopping crimes and such, doing a vigilante type of thing. But I had to do it in werewolf form so that I'd have all of my powers at my disposal. All of the people I saved ended up not being grateful for having their lives saved, but instead thought that they were the next target of the monstrous wolf-like being in front of them. So I ended up being a person everyone feared and wanted gone. So to escape the prejudice, I focused my powers and came here. Your consciousness is here right now, but my whole physical being is here." Lycaon finished.

"Wow. So you tried to help people, and they shunned you for it, huh?" Tsukune said.

"Yup. They had too much fear of me to appreciate the nice things that I was trying to do for them." Lycaon replied. "But it doesn't matter, because now I've got an descendant who isn't going suicidal on me, so I'm quite happy."

"Well, I'm glad I could help. So are we done here?" Tsukune inquired.

"Yup, we are. See you later." The werewolf said with a waive as the world around Tsukune faded to black.

* * *

><p>Tsukune awoke again on the hospital bed, with Gin sitting in a chair beside him. He was used to the normal scenario by now, and he didn't move around much, so as to not make much noise and alert the nurse, and spoke in a rather quiet tone, hoping to keep the nurse from putting him under for at least a little longer than normal.<p>

"Hey, sleeping beauty." Gin said with a smile on his face. "You doing alright? You know, if you were awake about two hours ago, the girls would have been in here and they would have been ecstatic. They still don't know you've been awake a few times yet."

"Yeah. Well if that nurse would stop putting me under, I'd probably be out of here and back in school. I must have loads of homework to make up by now." Tsukune said with an annoyed tone.

"You don't have to worry about that, buddy. The Headmaster said that you won't have to do homework until you go back to school, which I'd imagine would be when you're out of this place."

"Well that's kind of nice. I only wish I was out of this place sooner." Tsukune said, his mood brightening.

The Lycaon shifted around on the bed a little to make himself a bit more comfortable, and, like clockwork, the nurse was in the room with a syringe full of anesthetic.

"Hey, before you put me under again," Tsukune said, grabbing the arm of the nurse that was holding the needle, "would you at least tell me why I have to stay here for this long and when I'll be able to leave?" Tsukune asked, his blood red eyes staring into the nurse's very soul.

"W-well, you have to stay here because we're running some tests and we need to make sure that your transformation is complete." the nurse said, sounding very intimidated.

"Look at me. Does it look like the transformation is complete?" Tsukune asked sarcastically.

"Yes, but your body hasn't ever done this before. When you first came in here, we took X-rays of your bones, and they were still in the process of growing, because this is the first time you've transformed. Every other time you transform after this though, all alterations of your physical state will be instant, as they are with all other monsters. You seem to be done with your transformation though, and you should be out of here by tomorrow." the nurse replied.

"Well that's some good news. Alright then, put me under." Tsukune said. The nurse proceeded to insert the needle into the Lycaon's neck and inject a massive quantity of anesthetic. As Tsukune felt consciousness escaping his grasp, he turned his head towards Gin.

"Alright then, buddy. You heard her. I'm out of here tomorrow. See you in the morning." Tsukune said as he drifted off to sleep and back to the abyss.

* * *

><p>The next day was just as bad as the last few had been for the girls. They had now gone five days without their loved one. They all trudged to school silently, went through classes silently, ate lunch silently, and finished school silently. They just didn't have anything to say to anyone or to each other. They were too lost in their worried thoughts of Tsukune. After school, the girls went to the Headmaster's building to have Ruby join them in their pilgrimage to the hospital and to Tsukune's room.<p>

With the witch in tow, Mizore, Moka, Kurumu, and now Ruby trudged onwards to the hospital. As per usual, they walked past the reception desk, ignoring it completely. They walked down hallway after hallway, and finally were standing in front of the door to Tsukune's room. They opened it to find Gin still sitting in his chair, and the beast they thought of as Tsukune still unconscious on the bed. They all filed into the room and sat down in the other chairs in the room. They waited silently for five minutes, hoping Tsukune would wake up.

After they all were convinced he wasn't going to wake up, they all walked up to his bedside in a line, with Kurumu leading and Mizore trailing at the end. They all gave him a kiss on his furry cheek and then started to slowly leave the room. When it was Mizore's turn, pressed her lips to the giant werewolf's cheek for quite a while longer than the others, who had turned to look back at the Snow Maiden. They weren't able to see the tears that had formed in her eyes and had started streaming down her face. As she broke the kiss, a few tears dropped on to Tsukune's cheek, leaving damp spots on the fur. Mizore then turned around and began to follow the others out, her head in her hands, trying to hide her face.

Before the group of girls had even taken one step away from the door, they thought they heard a rustling from Tsukune's room. They rushed back inside.

"Mmm… that's nice…" They heard their loved one murmur, growing a grin as he spoke, and he started to wake up. They all stood around him, paralyzed at what they had just heard, hoping that it was real.

The rather large werewolf started shifting around on the bed and ended up opening his eyes. He saw the girls standing around him and Gin sitting in his chair, beaming.

"Tsukune!" The girls cried happily, tears of joy streaming down all of their faces. They all rushed at him and wrapped their arms around him.

"Hey, everybody. What did I miss?"

* * *

><p>And that is the end of chapter 8. Yay! Our hero is alive! And not a ghoul!<p>

Again, thanks to all of you who read, as I hope that I'm writing something that you all enjoy. Rest assured, the kind of romantic stuff with the girls will begin in the next few chapters. I must admit, I fell victim to the call of the game Minecraft for quite a while today, but I have broken free, and written this chapter.

I'd also like to announce that I have re-read and corrected spelling and grammar errors in the previous chapters and this one, except for those that have already been corrected, so basically I've proofread chapters 4-8.

R&R (rest & relax) you all. PhoenixSpectre signing off for now.

I'll be back in a day or so with chapter 9!


	9. Chapter 9: Back To Normal

Chapter 9: Back To Normal

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><p>The next few moments in the hospital room were a blur for Tsukune. Kurumu had jumped up on top of the giant werewolf as he was laying on the hospital bed and was hugging and squeezing him with all her might. The others were fighting to get past the Succubus and hug their friend, though their efforts were in vain. Then a nurse came in and had Kurumu climb off of her 'Mate of Fate'. With the rather busty girl off of him, Tsukune was able to sit up and swing his legs off of the bed. His head almost touched the top of the ceiling. The rest of the girls ran up and wrapped their arms around him.<p>

"Tsukune! You're awake!" Moka exclaimed, tears forming in her eyes like so many of the other girls. "We were all so worried about you!"

"Yeah! You've been in this place for five days!" Ruby said, almost crying. "We were getting worried you might not wake up at all!"

"Are you kidding? You can't get rid of me that easy! I'm not going anywhere!" Tsukune said with a smirk. "It's good to see you all again."

"It's very good to see you too!" Mizore cried, tears of joy streaming from her face on to the werewolf's shoulder. "I missed you!"

"I missed all of you too." the Lycaon said, smiling at all of them. "Hey, you guys said I've been cooped up in this place for five days. So what day is it?"

"It's Friday, and we just got out of school to come see you." Kurumu said, her eyes still watery for her friend.

"Wow. I've got great timing then." Tsukune chuckled.

"Hey, just curious, but how long are you going to be in this beastly form?" Moka asked. She was a little unnerved that he was now a werewolf. A lot of other vampires, including some in her family, disapproved of werewolves, believing that they were inferior to themselves. Her parents would never approve of Tsukune if he was weaker than herself.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Give me a second." Tsukune said, realizing that he was still in his werewolf form. He had always been human in the abyss, and he had been put under so many times by the nurse he had lost track of what form he was in. He gently pushed the girls away, having them break their embraces with him, and began to focus on being human again. He felt nothing, but the others could see him start to shrink in size, the fur recede into his skin, his claws retract into normal nails, and his face morph back into its human form. Now, Tsukune Aono, the human, was sitting on the hospital bed, and the girls rushed forward to embrace him once more. His right forearm bore many circular scars, marking where his friend had bitten him.

Gin seemed to have been all but forgotten in the room, and his eyes were locked on the scars on his friends arm. He felt a guilty feeling all of a sudden. He had helped to save his friend, yes, but he had hurt him in the process.

"Hey, what is this?" Kurumu asked as her hand traced over the scars Gin was staring at.

Tsukune looked down at his arm, then over at his fellow werewolf, who had a look of guilt on his face.

"That is a reminder of who I have to thank for still being myself. Even if he had to sink his fangs into me to do it, he saved me from the monster inside of me, and I couldn't be more in debt to him." Tsukune said, looking at Gin with a smile. Gin's look of guilt melted at Tsukune's kind words, and he got up out of his chair to join in the group hug.

"Thanks man. You really came through for me." Tsukune said, his words carrying a lot of gratitude.

"Hey, you're my best friend. What was I going to do?" Gin said. "It was no problem. Don't mention it." He raised his hand to offer a high five, which Tsukune gladly accepted.

"Alright then. Let's get out of here." Tsukune said. He had just stepped on to the floor, realizing that he was barefoot. Suddenly, the nurse that had put him under so many times before burst into the room.

"Hey, you said I could leave today!" Tsukune exclaimed, expecting to have her try and inject another round of anesthetic into him. Oddly enough though, she wasn't brandishing her syringe like normal.

"I'm not here to put you back to sleep, just to let you know a few things." The nurse said, reassuring the boy. "First, you've been discharged. I'd like to apologize for having to keep you an extra day, but the Headmaster wanted us to run a few tests on you. And that leads into the second thing. Tomorrow, he'd like to see you and Gin in his office. He needs to talk to you both, and I believe it might have something to do with the tests he had us run. He will be expecting you both at eleven o'clock. In the meantime, since I work at the hospital, I'm obliged to tell you to go back to your dorm and rest, but seeing as your friends are here and rather happy to see you, I can make a safe bet that you all will go and do a little celebrating."

"Alright. Thank you." Tsukune said, thanking the nurse. "Alright. Let's get going. It's a nice place, but I don't want to spend any more time here than I have to."

After the nurse removed the I.V. from Tsukune's arm, they all walked out of the room, down the halls, and finally left the building. They opted to stop by the boy's dormitory before doing anything, as Tsukune needed to get another shirt and another pair of shoes. After a few minutes, their friend emerged from the building in his casual look, his shirt not tucked in and his red tie loose around his neck. The girls all got him in the middle of a group hug, and the group of friends began walking to their lunch table.

* * *

><p>Lunch had already passed, but it was as good a place as any to talk. The girls had decided to wait until tomorrow to show their loved one the schedule they had concocted. For now, they just wanted to talk and spend time with him. They talked about what had happened to him, what everything had felt like to him, and what they had been up to while he had been taking his five day nap.<p>

"But what I really want to know is why you didn't tell us what was happening to you." Mizore said, with a lightly hurt tone in her words that was barely detectable.

"That's an easy one." Tsukune began. "Let me ask you four a question. If I had told you my problem and the only solution, would you have tried to talk me out of it?"

The girls looked at one another and eventually they all ended up nodding in response to Tsukune's question.

"That's why. You four care about me to such an extent that you would have tried to talk me out of it, and it probably would have worked. But this had to be done, so I had to try my best to hide it from you." Tsukune answered.

"Well alright then. Now that everyone is up to speed on what has happened, what do you guys say to getting some dinner?" Gin inquired. They all agreed and began to walk towards the cafeteria.

* * *

><p>They ate a delicious meal and had a nice conversation throughout said meal. What surprised Tsukune was that the girls weren't getting into a fight over him anymore. No one had yelled, and no one was bleeding. It raised his spirits to see that they were all getting along and not getting injured over him.<p>

After the meal, the sun had set and the moon had risen. The girls and the guys went back to their respective dorms. There was a nice group hug before they all went their separate ways. Gin and Tsukune got into a rather happy conversation as they returned to their dorm.

"It's really nice that things are back to normal. Well, as normal as they get anyways. I wonder what the Headmaster wants us for tomorrow though…" Tsukune said.

"Hey, that isn't until tomorrow, and I'm just happy to be with my pal again. And further more, I don't have to worry about THIS anymore!" Gin exclaimed while grabbing Tsukune's arm and rolling up the sleeve to reveal his bare arm, devoid of the holy lock.

"Yeah, I guess it's going to help everyone sleep better at night!" Tsukune chuckled.

"You have to wonder though, what the heck happened to you? I mean, you don't look at all like a normal werewolf. When you turned into your beast, your fur was a shiny silver. It was glowing in the moonlight. It looked kind of cool, I might add. And you were quite a bit taller than myself or any other werewolf I've seen." Gin observed, deep in thought.

"Well, I bet that the Headmaster will have the answers to all of those questions when we see him tomorrow." Tsukune said, keeping the knowledge that he had gained in his sleep to himself.

"Yeah, we'll figure all of that out tomorrow. Right now, I've got five dollars riding on the werewolf who can eat the most food out of the pantry when we get back!" Gin chuckled.

"You're on!" Tsukune said, accepting the challenge.

The two friends laughed a bit as their conversation continued and they raced back to their dorm, eager to make a quick five bucks.

* * *

><p>"I'm just happy that he's back! Now we don't need to be worried about him anymore!" Ruby exclaimed. The girls had drummed up a conversation of their own, and, predictably, it was centered around their recently awakened friend.<p>

"Yeah, but do you think that turning into a werewolf has changed anything about him? Maybe about his mindset? His morals?" Kurumu said, as her mind went to other places, fantasizing explicit things about herself and Tsukune.

"I don't know. We'll have to wait and see. I'm worried that he might get into harm's way a lot more now. He might feel that he needs to repay us for protecting him all the time. He has power now. Power that he can use without any risks, unlike when he had the ghoul in him. I mean, when he was lying on that bed as a werewolf, did you see how massive he was?" Moka asked the group.

"Yeah…" Kurumu replied in a rather odd tone, still in her dream land.

"Not like that you skank! I meant how tall he was! He was wearing pants for God's sake! And I wouldn't bring that subject up!" Moka yelled at the Succubus, pulling her back into reality. Kurumu stuck her tongue out at the Vampiress

"Hey, a girl can dream, can't she?"

"Yeah, but keep those kinds of dreams to yourself! I don't think that qualifies as appropriate for our conversation right now…" Moka began.

"I just hope he's still the Tsukune we all know and love." Mizore cut in. "That's all I want."

"The feeling is mutual." Ruby said, agreeing with the Snow Maiden.

They all walked at a brisk pace back to the girls dorm. Once inside, they all said goodnight to each other and went to bed, each of them dreaming about the same thing: Tsukune.

* * *

><p>Tsukune and Gin, both in their werewolf forms, were sitting on the couch in the dorm's living room. They had plowed through the pantry, and there was almost nothing left. It was either on their faces or in their stomachs. They didn't need to worry though, because the pantries were always freshly stocked every morning by the housemaids that cleaned up the dormitory every day when all of the students were at school.<p>

"Wow. I feel a little queasy." Tsukune said, clutching his stomach.

"Me too, but stay in your werewolf form. Your metabolism and digestion are a lot faster, so the queasy feeling should pass before long." Gin reassured. He had won the bet, despite being smaller than Tsukune when in his werewolf form.

"Well, I do think that it's time for me to go to bed. I want to be able to do some stuff tomorrow morning before we have to go see the Headmaster."

"Yeah, I think I'll turn in too. I need to lay in a bed after sitting and sleeping in that chair for five days." Gin replied with a chuckle.

"Okay. Thanks for that, by the way." Tsukune said.

"Hey, don't mention it. I'm your best friend after all." Gin said with a bit of humility in his voice. "Alright. I'm off to bed. I'll see you in the morning."

The smaller of the two werewolves got up, left the room, and began to climb the stairs, with the larger following right behind them. They went into their respective rooms and fell asleep on their beds, still in werewolf form so as not to get a stomach ache. As they both drifted off to sleep, they could only wonder what was in store for them with the Headmaster tomorrow.

* * *

><p>And cue the end of Chapter 9. It's all working out! Everybody feels all warm and fuzzy inside, right?<p>

I'd like to apologize for the delay, as this chapter would have been up about ten hours earlier, but, sadly, my internet connection went on the fritz. It's up now though, so you all can read it! Though if you're reading these words right now, you've probably already read it. So good for you!

As usual, I'd like to thank those of you who are reading this as I add chapters. More thanks to those of you who have marked this as a story alert/your favorite story or me with an author alert/as your favorite author. And extra thanks to those of you who review.

I take this opportunity to give appreciation to the users with the pen names God Emperor Of GAR-halla, Kevin Manly, B-I-N-G-O-1-2-3, and Nghtwng77 for your kind words and for reviewing. I appreciate the support, and I'm glad I'm writing something that you all like. I'll sort of thank a user with the pen name hollownature for reviewing, though his review was more of a question because he was confused about something in chapter 7 due to not picking up on a joke I added in chapter 7 that related back to chapter 3. Other than that, I extend my thanks to all who are reading, and more to those who give me feedback.

Also, I'd like to tell you all that I hope to just keep going with this Fic and never put a 'complete' tag on the story. I've got millions of ideas and events to put the characters through, and I plan to utilize them all. I hope you all are behind me on that idea and will continue reading.

As always, R&R (rest & relax) everybody. See you in a bit with Chapter 10!


	10. Chapter 10: The New Werewolf

Chapter 10: The New Werewolf

* * *

><p>The next day, Tsukune and Gin woke up at relatively the same time. This had surprised both of them since they both normally knew that Tsukune wouldn't wake up until at least two hours after Gin on weekends. Gin trudged down the stairs to the pantry, which to their delight had been restocked since the two werewolves' contest last night. He had changed back to his human form since he had woken up. It had become natural to him. He hadn't even thought about it and he was already human.. A few minutes later, Tsukune trudged down the stairs, but still as a giant silver wolf. He hadn't had as much practice transforming, and he didn't even notice that he was still a monstrous being.<p>

"Hey." Gin said in a voice signifying that he had just recently become fully awake. His back was to his friend as he was fixing his breakfast.

"Hi." responded a not even half awake Lycaon. He proceeded to fling the pantry door open, find himself a bowl, a spoon, some cereal, and some milk, make a bowl of cereal, and sit down at a table. He finished all of his breakfast, not even realizing that the hand bringing each spoonful of cereal to his wolf-like complexion was covered in fur. The fur around his mouth was soaked with milk. Another boy came down to get himself some breakfast and had been about halfway through making his meal when he noticed the giant, beastly looking figure sitting at a table. The boy froze and his face turned pale as he laid eyes on the beast. He slowly backed towards the stairs and then ran up them, adrenaline from sheer terror driving him up the stairs as fast as his legs could carry him.

Gin and Tsukune watched the whole thing and had thought the boy was seeing things or something. Gin then turned back to his friend and finally noticed that he was still in his giant, silver werewolf state.

"Hey, you look kind of beastly." Gin said.

"I just woke up. Give me a break. I'll take a shower in a bit." Tsukune replied.

"No, I mean you look REALLY monstrous." Gin said, thinking Tsukune would understand him.

"Well we can't all look like you, now can we?" Tsukune snapped back.

Gin proceeded to look inside of the cupboards in the kitchen for something rather shiny. He picked up a pot, walked over, and held it in front of his friend's face. Tsukune jumped a bit when he saw his reflection.

"Oh. THAT'S what you mean. Alright. Give me a second." Tsukune said. In about five seconds, he had morphed back into a human.

"Don't worry. That guy who ran back up the stairs doesn't know you're a werewolf. He was too scared for his life to stick around and see you transform." Gin reassured.

"Is... is it gone?" the student asked in frightened tone as he peered around the corner. He only saw Tsukune sitting where the beast he saw earlier was, and Gin standing next to him, holding a pot.

"I... I thought... I saw..." the boy stuttered.

"Is what gone?" Tsukune asked, hiding what both friends knew.

"I... I thought... uhh... will you two excuse me? I need to go see the nurse." the boy said, worried for his mental state.

* * *

><p>With the whole morning fiasco over, Tsukune and Gin finished their breakfasts and began to talk about nothing, watch TV, and ultimately wait until they had to go see the Headmaster. They had both awakened at seven, which still seemed unbelievable to Tsukune, and they had quite a while to wait. It seemed like time took forever to pass, even on this Saturday.<p>

Finally, the clock was showing that it was ten thirty had arrived. Gin turned the TV off and they both walked into the kitchen to fix themselves an early lunch. They made and ate sandwiches. They looked at the clock again after lunch, and seeing that it was ten fifty, proceeded to leave the dormitory and begin their walk to the Headmaster's building. They arrived five minutes early, and the walk had taken them a fourth of the time that it had while Tsukune was incapacitated.

* * *

><p>They entered the building, which was lit rather dimly, and walked forward through the doors in front of them to enter the Headmaster's office. As the doors opened, they saw the Headmaster, sitting at his desk, waiting for them.<p>

"Well it seems that you both are a bit early. Well done." The Headmaster said. "Before we begin, I was informed by the housemaids that the pantry in the boy's dormitory was found completely empty. You two wouldn't happen to know what happened to all the food, would you?"

"Uhh… no. We don't know what happened to the food. We both went back to the dorm and went to bed." Gin said, hoping that the Headmaster wouldn't see through his ruse.

"Yeah. Maybe someone else ate it all." Tsukune said, trying to levy suspicion away from them.

"Perhaps. But regardless, let us get down to business. Now obviously, we know Tsukune is a werewolf now. But the question is, what type of werewolf are you _exactly_?" the Headmaster said.

"I wasn't aware that there was more than one type…" Gin began.

"Oh, nonsense. You're a werewolf yourself Gin! Haven't you ever heard legends of any other types of werewolves?" the Headmaster inquired.

"Well, yeah, but he can't be a…" Gin began.

"You have seen him for five days while he was in the hospital. He DOES match the description, doesn't he?" the Headmaster cut in.

"So you're saying that Tsukune here is a Lycaon? I find that hard to believe. The last time one was seen was over three hundred years ago! And it is exceedingly rare that one is ever awakened!" Gin exclaimed in disbelief.

"Well it seems that now the last time one was seen was yesterday, and your friend has had the honor of being one of those exceedingly rare people. The tests that I had the nurses run on him in the hospital confirm it. Tell me Tsukune, did you ever talk to anyone in a dream of sorts while you were unconscious? The legends says such things would happen to newly awakened Lycaons." the Headmaster said.

"Yeah, but it wasn't a dream. It was real. I talked to him. My ancestor. Lycaon." Tsukune responded.

"Marvelous! You've already accepted it as real! Alright then. The next thing to do…" the Headmaster began.

"Wait, wait, wait. Wait a second here. So Tsukune, my best friend, is a werewolf, no, one of THE werewolves that possess nearly unyielding power? He is one of the ones that all normal werewolves speak about in hushed whispers and nearly worship?" Gin asked, still trying to take it all in.

"Yes. He is, and probably will be, the world's only living Lycaon. All others, as the stories go, have committed suicide out of fear." the Headmaster explained.

"Yeah, Lycaon told me that too. Too bad there isn't anyone around who I can relate to…" Tsukune began.

"Nonsense! Though there are no Lycaons like you in the world, Lycaons are still werewolves. Which means that somewhere up there in both of your family trees, no matter how high, you two share blood." the Headmaster said.

"So that means that you can relate to me, buddy. Well, minus any unknown powers you have as a Lycaon that I don't possess. But yeah. A werewolf is a werewolf is a werewolf. You're just a werewolf on a scale all your own." Gin said.

"Cool. I guess I'm going to need to hang around with you a lot more to get a hang of the being a werewolf. Oh, before I forget, Lycaon told me that I was a pure blood. In case you need that information, Headmaster." Tsukune said.

"Oh. Well. I must say that I didn't expect that." the Headmaster said, almost in disbelief.

"What does that mean? Pure blood…" Gin trailed off, starting to think.

"It means that all of the blood in him, by some insane luck and chance, is one hundred percent Lycaon blood." the Headmaster replied.

"So how does that make him different from other Lycaons?" Gin inquired.

"Let me put it to you this way, Gin. All of the stories and fables we have heard about Lycaons in the past, about the beastly werewolves with unimaginable power, all of them were half bloods at best. Half blood meaning that only one of their parents was a Lycaon. As a pure blood, Tsukune possesses even more power. If you need an example, the Lycaons in the stories are about ten times weaker and slower than your friend here." the Headmaster explained. Gin's jaw dropped in shock. "But now to business. The main reason that I called you both here was to arrange training for Tsukune here."

"Training? Sir, he's a Lycaon. He could split any monster on this campus apart with his index finger." Gin said.

"Yes, and if he's trained, he'll be even more lethal. You see, he and his friends, including you, are the only source of pure good that this academy has. If it wasn't for you all putting down an obnoxious monster each week or so, they would eventually believe that they had immense strength in numbers, which they do, and wreak havoc on the school, and no matter my skills, I can't fight off a full school of monsters. So your group of friends acts as a deterrent force of sorts for the school's rebellious youth. I was surprised to see your friend turn into a Lycaon, and I'm now more surprised that he's a pure blood, but I'd like your group to have as much power as possible so as to strike down those who would seek to destroy this place of learning. So yes, I'd like you to train him, since I know that you yourself have been trained." the Headmaster answered. "Since you have the weekend, I suggest that you do this training tomorrow, since I happen to know that training a werewolf is a very short, one-time process, is it not?"

"Well that's how it was for me. They taught me a few things about my power and how to fight with my hands, and then instinct kicked in." Gin replied.

"And that's how it will be for him as well. It doesn't matter whether or not he knows any martial arts. His instincts in battle will be much better than that for fighting anyways." the Headmaster assured.

"Alright then. So I guess we'll just meet somewhere far from the school and dorms tomorrow and work on it." Gin replied.

"I'm good with that. I'd like to get some combat training." Tsukune added.

"Then it's settled. I'd train sometime early in the morning if I were you. There will be less people awake and you'll run less a risk of being seen that way. Now you two should leave. You've still got all of today to yourselves!" the Headmaster said, gesturing to the door. The two boys thanked him and left.

* * *

><p>They exited the building and went down the steps in front of the front door. Tsukune hadn't even taken two steps from the stairs when a familiar feeling of something soft was squishing itself into his head, dampening the force of a girl colliding with him mid-jump. He then found himself tumbling onto his back.<p>

"Tsukune! It's good to see you! I was waiting for you!" The succubus said, greeting her 'Mate of Fate'.

"Mmmph… It's… mmph… good to see you too." Tsukune replied. "Is… mmph… this… really necessary?"

"Hey, don't be like that. He just got out of the hospital yesterday!" another familiar voice belonging to a Vampiress said.

"Yeah. After all he had to go through, I'd hate to have to cut you to ribbons in front of him." Mizore joked, emerging from behind a tree, where all the girls had been waiting.

"And then how would I get my snack?" Kokoa said.

"Hey, they said he was fine. And I missed him. I think we all missed him!" Kurumu said, saying what all the girls were thinking.

"That is true. All of us did miss him." Ruby agreed.

"It's just good to have the gang back together again!" Yukari exclaimed.

"Mmmph…! Need… air!" Tsukune gasped.

"Oh! Sorry! I was just so excited! You're back!" Kurumu said as she rose up off the boy, still ecstatic with joy.

"Yeah, it is good. The Headmaster said that I have to give him some training tomorrow though, so I wouldn't count on seeing us in the morning." Gin said.

"Well… we could help…" Mizore began.

"Yeah! We could! We could all help!" Kurumu cut in.

"That's awfully nice of you, but we need to get up early in the morning to do this so that no one will end up noticing." Tsukune said.

"Well… actually… it probably would be better to have them with us. Some could help with the training and other could keep watch for people who might be coming by. It might actually be safer to have them come along." Gin said. The girls were overjoyed when they heard that, knowing that there was no way an offer that good could be refused.

"You know what? You're right. Alright then. We'll go far from the dorms and the school. We'll meet at six in the morning. Is that good for everyone?" Tsukune asked. No one objected. "Alright then. So that's what we'll do."

"In the meantime, we still have the whole day ahead of us. So what are we going to do?" Gin asked as the group of friends walked towards the school.

* * *

><p>And end chapter 10. Now they are training the guy with lots of power! Yay!<p>

Hey everybody. I do have to say sorry for exceeding my normal 24 hour grace period between chapters, but it was the weekend, the calls of Minecraft and Brink were too hard to resist, I couldn't think of a decent name for the chapter, and I got a new android tablet after saving my money for three months, which, conveniently enough, is what I have used to write this chapter. Cool, huh? Now I can write more chapters from ANYWHERE! MUA HA HA HA HA!

As usual, keep reading, and R&R (rest & relax) y'all. PhoenixSpectre is out. Peace!


	11. Chapter 11: Training a Beast

Chapter 11: Training A Beast

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><p>The next morning, everyone had met halfway between the boy's and girl's dorms, for simplicity. They checked to make sure that they weren't being followed, then they set off away from the dormitories and the school. They hadn't exactly planned where they would go, but they decided that any place that they ran across that was far away from the school and everyone who attended would be as good as any. They began their trek and a friendly conversation, where the boys filled the girls in on what they had learned.<p>

"So before this, you were half vampire and half human, right?" Ruby asked.

"Right." Tsukune replied.

"So now you're half vampire, half human, and half werewolf?" Kurumu asked.

"Those would be thirds, not halves, Kurumu." Yukari added.

"Hey, I failed math. Don't get technical with me." the Succubus shot back.

* * *

><p>After going up and down hills and through trees and such for quite awhile. After about ten minutes of walking they all stopped at a small clearing in the middle of what couldn't be better described than a forest, though, as seemed customary to where they lived, there were no leaves on any of the trees. It made it easy to spot an intruder, and there was plenty of room to practice fighting, so it was ideal for their needs.<p>

Yukari and Kokoa were assigned to the duty of keeping watch, though Kokoa demanded a payment of a snack from Tsukune's veins in advance. Oddly enough, he didn't feel lightheaded after she had her fill of his blood, and she commented on how his blood had changed. She said that it had become even more delicious, almost to an addicting level. He was hoping that was a good sign. And before he knew it, they were training.

"Alright. Today I have been volun-told to give you combat training. Obviously that means that we will be learning the full extent of your powers and their limits, should you have any, as a Lycaon. I seriously doubt that we'll find any but anyways, first things first. Now as the legends say, you've got tons of power in your werewolf form. But you probably didn't know that you can use some of that power, like speed and strength, in your human form." Gin said.

"So I can be, like, a superhuman if I focus?" Tsukune asked.

"Well, kind of. You can harness the power by focus, but it won't be anywhere near what you'll have in your Lycaon form. The power you can wield as a human is going to be very... actually, considering that you're a Lycaon, I won't say weak, because I have no idea how much power you'll be able to harness as a human. Just give it a shot. Try controlling strength. Punch that tree over there." Gin said while gesturing to a tree behind Tsukune.

Tsukune turned around and walked to the tree. He stopped in front of it and turned to look back at Gin. His friend smiled and gestured to the tree. Tsukune turned back to the tree, closed his eyes, and thrust his fist forward. Nothing happened to the tree, but he had quite a sore hand right now.

"Try it again." Gin said.

Tsukune closed his eyes and focused on strength again and punched the tree. Still nothing. And his hand hurt more. Gin began to walk towards his friend.

"I've got an idea. This is based a lot on willpower, so I'll give you some encouragement. Mizore, Moka, Kurumu, and Ruby are all standing over there. Don't look at them, just know that they're over there. Now imagine how foolish you'll look if you screw up again." Gin said as he began to walk away from his friend.

"Hey!" Tsukune exclaimed.

"Just a little encouragement. Now give it another shot." Gin said.

Tsukune turned back to the tree, the thought of looking stupid in front of the girls fresh in his mind thanks to Gin. He closed his eyes and focused once more. He focused on strength. Nothing but strength. He slowly felt the pain in his hand melt away, and he then threw another punch at the tree. He couldn't feel anything, so he was sure that he had missed. He didn't open his eyes out of shame because he thought he had failed again in front of the girls.

"Damn!" Gin yelled.

Tsukune opened his eyes to both a frightening and delightful sight. The tree wasn't in front of him anymore. Now there was just the splintered stump of a tree. The tree had been splintered into many pieces of timber that had either nearly knocked down other trees or were sticking into other trees by their sharp, pointy end.

"Wow... you're really strong..." Kurumu stammered.

Ruby, Kokoa, Yukari, and Moka's mouths were hanging open. Mizore was smiling and nodding in approval at Tsukune. Even Inner Moka was surprised. She would be able to do that with a bit of effort when she was released from her seal. But Tsukune, the ghoul turned werewolf, had done it in his human form. She couldn't wait to find out what he could do in his Lycaon form.

"Did you all see that? He just disintegrated a tree! With his fist! As a human!" Gin yelled, barely able to contain his excitement.

"It wasn't anything really big. I just did what you told me Gin." Tsukune replied.

"Are you kidding me? What is left of the tree is stuck in other trees! That's unbelievable!" Gin exclaimed. "Well you seem to have the control over powers as a human, so now we'll move on to the next step. I'm almost scared now, but turn into your werewolf form.

"Alright." Tsukune agreed. He proceeded to take off his shoes and socks, so as not to ruin another pair, and he removed his shirt so it wouldn't be shredded. The girls could only blush. He closed his eyes and focused on his ancestor in his head, and in a few seconds, he was looking down on his friends, as he stood about two feet above them.

After they saw that he had changed, Kurumu, Gin, and Mizore instantly transformed into their monster forms. Kurumu grew her wings, nails, and tail. Mizore filled out her sleeves with her ice claws while her hair turned ice blue. Gin morphed into his werewolf form, not needing to remove anything except his shoes because he didn't gain as much height as Tsukune. Ruby drew her staff and sprouted two large raven wings. Tsukune approached the group of friends to remove Moka's rosary.

"Okay, let's get down to business. Now that we're all monsters, we'll do this simple. First, we'll each come at you one at a time and you'll practice dodging." Gin said. Then we'll start coming at you in two, threes, then with everyone attacking at once.

"Alright. Bring it on." the new Lycaon said. His voice was much deeper than normal. It was almost scary.

"Wait, I don't think I can do this." Kurumu said.

"Me neither." Ruby and Mizore said in unison.

"Why not?" Gin inquired.

"I... just... I can't attack Tsukune. I just... can't." Kurumu said.

"Wait, I've got an idea. He's a werewolf now, right?" Gin said.

"Yeah..." Kurumu began.

"So pretend you're attacking me." Gin said. Kurumu thought for a moment.

"Alright. I can do that." the Succubus said, growing a smile. The rest of the girls began to crack smiles too.

"Alright then. Bring it on!" Tsukune exclaimed.

Everyone had just started moving towards him, and suddenly everything had slowed to nearly a stop.

"What..." Tsukune said, bewildered by what was happening. "What's going on?"

His friends were still moving towards him, but it seemed as if someone had recorded them on a camera and was playing the tape back in super slow motion. And yet somehow, he was moving at full speed.

"Cool, isn't it?" said a voice inside Tsukune's head.

"Who is that?" Tsukune asked.

"It's me, you great-to-the-nth-number grandpa." the familiar voice said, mocking him.

"Lycaon? How can I hear you? Where are you?" Tsukune asked, confused.

"I'm still in the abyss. I honed some of my abilities while looking into the possibility of communicating with you while you're awake. It seems to be working. But back to my question. Isn't it kind of cool how everyone is moving in slow motion?" Lycaon asked.

"Yes, but why are they doing that? Do they think I won't know what to do and are moving that slow on purpose?" Tsukune asked. He would have felt a little hurt if that was the case.

"No, that's just your combat senses kicking in. Now you're moving at about half of the full speed and your senses are reacting at half the rate they can as a Lycaon. And look how slow they all are!" Lycaon exclaimed

He turned back to his friends. They were moving slower than seemed humanely possible. This was actually kind of cool.

"I'd take this opportunity to try and banish the tunnel-vision habit from your mind. Also, if you really want to annoy or impress them, walk past them all and get behind them. They won't believe how fast you are moving." said the ancient werewolf.

"Alright. Thanks for letting me know what was going on. Otherwise I would have just though I was loosing it." Tsukune said.

"Any time. Now just get back in the fight!" Lycaon ordered.

Tsukune was just walking around his friends as they slowly stalked towards him. He eventually found himself zoning out on one of his friends and realized that was the tunnel-vision state taking over. He fought it and continued to walk around them all. Eventually he had gotten the hang of getting rid of his tunnel-vision problem, and then boredom took over and he returned to normal speed. Everyone else was panting out of exhaustion.

"Now I knew you'd be fast, but that was ridiculous!" Gin said over his heavy breathing.

"And we were running around as fast as we could!" Ruby spat out. "You were just a silver blur!"

"Well I guess that's good then." Tsukune said. "Are we done?" he asked Gin.

"Yeah... yeah, we're done. Just remember that if you fight anyone, don't attack with what you think is right. Attack with what feels right." the other werewolf panted.

"Got it." Tsukune replied.

"Yay! It hasn't even been an hour! We have the rest of the day with Tsukune!" Kurumu cheered.

Moka, or rather, Inner Moka, bent down to retrieve the rosary from where she had put in on the ground. She was completely consumed by her thoughts.

_"He was SO fast! And he completely decimated that tree! He didn't even look hurt! He definitely seems stronger than me..."_

She proceeded to return her rosary to her neck, and the happier version of Moka regained physical control and rejoined the group of friends. They all walked back towards the school, proud of the results of the training.

"Oh, and before we forget, there's something we girls would like you to take a look at Tsukune..." Kurumu said as she drew a page of what looked like a weekly planner from her pocket.

* * *

><p>And end chapter 11. Now the strong guy is trained!<p>

Hey all. If you're still reading, thanks for doing so. The last few chapters and this one have kind of been fillers to just explain stuff, but I plan to start everything up again in the next chapter. Since all this training happened on a Sunday, if you've been keeping track, that means that tomorrow for them will be Monday. I'm going to completely skip that and go to Tuesday, where our favorite Succubus gets her claws on her chosen one all to herself for one day. The chapters after that will be the next few days with the rest of the girls. Then I'll start adding some bloody fight scenes.

As per usual, R&R (read & review). TTFN (ta ta for now!)


	12. Chapter 12: Day With A Succubus

Chapter 12: Day With A Succubus

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><p>Tsukune woke up, began his daily routine, and once he finished breakfast, he headed out of the dorms for school. It had been two days since the training. Yesterday at school, though it was Monday, everything turned out pretty good. The teachers hadn't given much homework, no one tried fighting Tsukune or any of his friends, and surprisingly enough, no blood had been drawn between the girls. That had made Tsukune happy.<p>

After the training two days ago, the girls ended up showing him the schedule that they had concocted in order to share him without cutting each other to bloody ribbons. The boy was skeptical at first, but seeing as they had done it for him, he couldn't refuse. The fact that the four girls involved in said schedule were staring at him with big, hopeful eyes didn't much help him fight the idea either. And now it was Tuesday. He knew who was coming, but he didn't know when.

"Tsukune!" a familiar voice exclaimed from behind him. Speak of the devil, here she came now.

"Good morning Tsukune! How are you today?" asked a busty, blue haired Succubus.

"Hi Kurumu. I'm doing alright. I mean, I don't have to worry about the ghoul any more, so I'm doing great. I'm also happy that there has been less fighting between all of you girls. And fortunately, we haven't had anyone try to fight us for a while. So I do believe that I'm doing fantastic!" Tsukune said in a light-hearted tone. He was a little surprised. She hadn't grabbed his head and sunk it into her chest already!

"That's good to hear!" Kurumu replied in the same happy tone. "I have to ask though; did your transformation change anything about you? Your character? Your… morals? Are you more wolf-like even as a human?" the Succubus asked, licking her lips seductively. She was already beginning to dream of rather explicit things about the two of them in the back of her mind.

"No way! I'm still the same guy you knew. I'm not like Gin used to be. I don't plan on going that route either." the Lycaon said, catching her eye.

"Awww… you really are no fun. I guess it's back to trying to get you the hard way. Fortunately, the others aren't around, so I do believe my chances are improving already. I think I'm going to like this schedule that we made up!" Kurumu cheerfully replied while latching on to Tsukune's arm like a leech.

* * *

><p>"Well I have to give her some credit. Had she not been committed to trying to get to him fairly, she probably would have tackled him and tried to remove his pants already." Mizore said, taking delight that for once the Succubus was playing by the rules. She and Moka were watching Tsukune and their friend. Ruby wasn't able to join them because she had to get started on work. They might not be able to interfere with anything between the two today, unless Kurumu got out of hand, but that didn't mean that they were going to put complete faith in the Succubus. So they had been spying on her since she left to join Tsukune.<p>

"It is kind of nice that she isn't acting perverted. Look at them. They look so happy…" Moka began.

"Hey, don't start any of that. You're going to discourage me. And after all it took to make this schedule work, I'd hate to have it all fall apart because I stabbed you with one of my ice blades." Mizore shot back.

"Okay, okay. I guess I was just saying that this whole thing seems to be making Tsukune happy, as he doesn't have us fighting over him right behind him as he walks to school." Moka replied.

"Well that IS what we went through the trouble of creating this whole thing for after all." Mizore replied.

* * *

><p>As the Lycaon and the Succubus arrived in front of the school, they drew quite a lot of attention. People were wondering where the rest of the girls that naturally followed the young boy were. They were wondering why he was only with the beautiful and rather busty Succubus, and the male population was suddenly wondering if any of the other girls were available.<p>

As Tsukune noticed everyone's eyes locked on himself and Kurumu, he began to shift around nervously. He didn't normally care about what he looked like in a crowd, but he never did like being the center of attention.

"Don't worry about them, Tsukune. They don't matter. If anyone is curious, I'll just tell them the truth." Kurumu said, trying to ease some of the tension she began to sense within her chosen one.

"Thanks, Kurumu. I appreciate that." Tsukune said, feeling relief wash over him. He and the Succubus continued walking into the school with her latched on to his arm.

* * *

><p>They both were now sitting at lunch, and Kurumu was sitting as close as possible to her beloved. Class had gone well, despite the fact that she had to be separated from him by those infernal desks, but she was beside him again, and she couldn't ask for more. Tsukune was eating with Kurumu peacefully and the two were sharing a pleasant conversation about nothing in particular. The Lycaon was a little surprised that the others had taken the agreement to such lengths so as not to even sit with them at lunch. He didn't really like that. He'd have to tell them about that.<p>

The rest of the day came and went quicker than Tsukune or Kurumu could have expected. After the second half of the school day, the Succubus reunited with her chosen one and latched on to his arm. She started talking about how she didn't understand much of anything in math (a topic to which she knew Tsukune could relate) and they left the building sharing a friendly conversation. They didn't realize that they were still being stalked by Mizore and Moka.

"He really does seem happy with her…" Moka began.

"I told you not to say anything like that. I'm sure he's just feeling better now that he doesn't have to see that blue haired Succubus bleed in front of him because of a fight with me or Yukari." Mizore shot back.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Well I'm going to head off. I've got homework to do." Moka said as she began to walk away.

"Alright. See you later." Mizore replied as the vampiress left. Just as Moka left, Ruby showed up.

"Hey Mizore. I take it you've been keeping a watchful eye on Tsukune as per usual. Anything happen between himself and that succubus today that I should know about?" the witch asked.

"No, not really. It's funny though. When we're all together, she'll try all these different tricks to try and catch Tsukune's eye, but the second that we leave, she doesn't try any of that. The only thing that I saw qualifying as odd was the fact that she didn't even mash Tsukune's head into her chest when she saw him this morning." the snow maiden responded.

"That is odd. Especially for her. Either she's really trying to win Tsukune over fairly, or she's got a hidden agenda." Ruby said.

"Nope, she doesn't. She wouldn't. And just to make sure, I'll even investigate a bit tomorrow for you. Sound good?" Mizore asked.

"Yeah, I guess that would be alright." Ruby responded. "I've got to go. Keep an eye on them for me."

* * *

><p>"Do you guys believe this? It seems like that guy has finally chosen somebody! So now we can try our luck with Moka!" exclaimed a boy from a group that had been spying on Tsukune all day. They were surprised when he only showed up to school with Kurumu following him, and furthermore attached to his arm rather affectionately, and they had kept a close eye on him for the rest of the day.<p>

"Well, yes, it does seem like that, but we've been wrong before. We shouldn't just rush in." said another boy.

"Are you kidding me? The first chance now or probably ever to try our luck with Moka, and you're saying we should wait? Are you nuts?" the first boy exclaimed again.

"Yeah, he's right. What are you thinking? We have to act now that we have an opportunity. If we just stand on the sidelines, she'll slip through our fingers to some other guy." a third boy added.

"Alright, alright. So we'll all try hitting on her. But let's not go overboard. And what happens if we're wrong?" the second boy said.

"If we're wrong, we'll remove the obstacle between us and Moka once and for all!" the first boy shouted.

"Okay, but for god's sake, keep it down! We don't want anyone overhearing this!" the second boy whispered. The three then stole away back to the boy's dorms to formulate their plans for Moka and for getting rid of Tsukune, should he become a problem.

* * *

><p>Tsukune had been walking with Kurumu attached to his arm like a tumor since he left the school. They were nearing the girl's dorms now, as she got him to promise to her at lunch that he would walk her back to her dormitory. She was happy that he had accepted as it meant that she would have that much more time to spend with her beloved. She was still going to try something, though it was a longshot.<p>

"Thanks for walking me back here." Kurumu said.

"Your welcome. It was pretty nice just taking a walk without hearing the others fighting behind me or seeing one of you guys get hurt." Tsukune said in a happy tone.

"If you're happy, I guess that means that the plan we girls concocted is working!" Kurumu said.

"Yeah, it does seem to be working. I still feel like I should do something for all of you since you all went to the trouble of putting this together just to make me happy." Tsukune replied.

"Well, would you like to come up to my room? I can cook something. That would be something nice you can do for me." Kurumu said.

"Well… I… uhh… I don't know… I've got homework… and the others might get the wrong idea…" Tsukune stuttered, trying to fit a sentence together while blushing.

"Just for a quick snack, I promise. And I won't try anything. It will just be a friendly visit." Kurumu said, minding the boy's morals.

"Well… I… okay." Tsukune said, caving in.

"Alright! Let's go!" Kurumu said, overjoyed that he had agreed. She was going to have to fight a lot of feeling though, and she was almost regretting making the 'I won't try anything' statement. She grabbed his hand and ran into the building and up the stairs until they were in front of her door. She opened it and led Tsukune into a rather cute looking room.

"Alright. So yes, this is my room. Feel free to take a look around. I'll be right back." Kurumu said, then disappeared to either make or find something that the two of them could munch on. Tsukune was astounded that a girl like Kurumu who was very perverted at times would have such an innocent looking room. There was even a teddy bear on the bed. He looked around for a chair, but realizing that there wasn't one, he just sat with his back to her bed, looking at various things in the room. Kurumu returned a few moments later with a tray of cookies that she had made the other day.

"I made them myself. Try one." She said while bending down to where Tsukune was sitting to hand him a cookie. He took it, thanked of her, and ate it. As usual, it was one of the most amazing cookies that he had ever eaten. Kurumu had a knack for baking sweets.

"These are amazing, as usual!" Tsukune exclaimed. Kurumu grew a big smile.

"Thanks! I was tried changing the recipe just a little bit. I added some cinnamon." Kurumu replied. She sat down next to Tsukune and began to eat a cookie. And so it went on for a while, the both of them eating cookies and talking about nothing in particular. Tsukune didn't even notice it when Kurumu started snuggling up against his arm. When he did notice, he didn't really care either. After about twenty minutes, he got up.

"Hey, thanks again for the cookies. Those were great. I have to go and get all my homework done now. If you could please, do you think that you could talk to the others so that we can all sit together at lunch? I appreciate that everyone is trying to keep to the schedule all of you made, but I do like seeing everyone at lunch." Tsukune said.

"No problem. And thanks for agreeing to come over. It was fun!" Kurumu replied with a smile. "Bye!"

The rest of the day had no problems, just like the first half. Tsukune returned to his dorm to catch up with his fellow werewolf and to finish his homework. Kurumu found the rest of the girls and told them about Tsukune's request, which they were all more than happy to agree to. Mizore was rather suspicious as she had seen Tsukune go into the girl's dorm with the succubus, but Kurumu quenched her fears before long. The only problem that arose was that Kurumu was unable to sleep, but that was only because her heart was still fluttering.

"_I really think he likes me!" _the succubus thought as she finally drifted off to sleep.

* * *

><p>And so ends chapter 11. The girl's schedule seems to be working…<p>

I've started into the romantic stuff, since I believe that I've been a bit overdue. I haven't forgotten the fights and stuff I promised. I'll add those soon enough. Probably next chapter. Just because I'm really anxious to write one, I'll add a very bloody fight. I also would like to apologize for writing some of the recent chapters kind of quick and short, but when I put everything I'm thinking of in, it just ends up short. Since I'll be writing a rather gruesome battle scene next chapter (yes, I've decided that fast, and while typing this), said chapter should be rather long and fulfilling. Anyways, on to recent reviews.

Kudos to a user with the pen name Nghtwng77 who has replied to every chapter so far. I appreciate it. Thanks again to B-I-N-G-O-1-2-3 for giving some positive input. And also thanks to a new guy who has reviewed named ichikogawolfdemon. In answer to what you and Nghtwng77 posted, yes I am in fact bringing Moka back to the sidelines a bit. Though I am trying to remain impartial on parings in my story, I don't support Tsukune and Moka because as I read the actual manga, I realized that she had him in the palm of her hand for right around two years and didn't even tell him if she liked him or not. I do support both Tsukune/Mizore and Tsukune/Kurumu pairings because those two honestly love him and confess it daily. And they also kind of need him. I don't really support Tsukune and Ruby because I think Ruby is a little weird. You know, masochistic.

To a user with the pen name InMyOwnMind, if he is still reading, I would like to say thank you for helping me confirm that my goal is working. I have been trying to portray Tsukune and his new powers as overpowered, and it seems that you have bought into it. If you keep reading though, you'll be in for a surprise.

Thanks again to all, and as usual, R&R (rest & relax). PhoenixSpectre has left the keyboard! (For now)


	13. Chapter 13: Trial Of Power

Chapter 13: Trial Of Power

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><p>The day began just like any other. Tsukune got up, careful to make sure he was still in his human form, then got dressed, made and ate his breakfast, and left the boy's dormitory. He had made the mistake of walking down stairs and eating breakfast as a werewolf before, and if nothing else, he was determined to keep his new powers hidden. At least until he had to fight somebody.<p>

He was walking his normal route to school, alone, but he was expecting someone. He knew who was coming for him today.

"Tsukune!" cried the voice of a familiar vampiress.

"_Here she comes. Alright. I'll give her some of my blood and then we'll get to school." _Tsukune thought. He knew not to expect anything. He had been waiting for almost a year for something he knew was never going to come.

"Hi Tsukune! How are you doing today?" Moka said in a very happy tone.

"Oh, hi Moka. I'm alright." Tsukune replied, trying to mimic her joyous tone. It was hard since thinking of how many times he hadn't gotten a kiss from her had put him in a bit of a low mood.

"Are you sure? You don't sound that good…" Moka began, only to be cut off by her friend.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Tsukune responded in a much happier tone. He even painted on a fake smile.

"Tsukune…" Moka began in an almost seductive voice. One that Tsukune had heard before. He knew that she was going for his neck. He didn't even move. He wasn't even going to try.

And suddenly, the girl's lips were pressed on to his.

* * *

><p>"So you mean to tell me that all yesterday while I was doing my best to play it fair, you guys were spying on me?" Kurumu said in an outraged voice. Mizore had told her what had happened while asking her if she wanted to spy on Tsukune with her. Kurumu had naturally agreed, but was quite mad about being followed. Especially when she didn't know it.<p>

"Yes, we did. It isn't that we didn't trust you… well… actually, yes, it was because we didn't trust you, but also because we wanted to see if Tsukune was starting to like you more than us. And now that you're with me today, you can see if he is starting to like Moka more than us. And through all of this I'm still regretting being talked into having Friday be my day with him. He might fall for one of you before I even get to see him." Mizore said with some disappointment and an annoyed sound in her voice.

"Well… I… fine, I guess I'll have to let it go. But it still wasn't very nice." Kurumu said as she turned around to look at her friend again. She noticed that Mizore's mouth was hanging open and her eyes were locked on where Tsukune and Moka were standing. She had frozen in her tracks. No pun intended.

Kurumu moved forward a little to get a better view of what had shocked the snow maiden. When she approached, she saw a familiar vampiress kissing her chosen one. Her face grew red with fury.

"I'm going to KILL her! That HAS to be against the rules!" Kurumu said as she grew her wings, tail, and claws. She began to advance on Moka, but was stopped by Mizore.

"No, don't do that. I mean, I'm just as mad as you are, and we can talk to Moka or beat her up for that later, but not now. Not in front of Tsukune." Mizore said, reminding Kurumu of the reason that they were stalking Tsukune instead of walking with him in the first place.

"But… I… she… oh, alright. For Tsukune. But one way or another, that girl IS going to pay!" Kurumu said, her voice filled with blistering fury.

* * *

><p>Tsukune, surprised by Moka, felt his knees grow weak and he fell backward. The vampiress, realizing that Tsukune was falling backwards, but still not intent on breaking the kiss, decided to fall backwards with him. And after a minute, that had seemed more like a year to the boy who had been pinned under the vampiress, Moka broke the kiss and lifted herself up off of Tsukune. The Lycaon continued to lie on the ground, dazed and amazed.<p>

"I… ah… uhh…" Tsukune stuttered, unable to make a full sentence, much less combine his senseless sounds.

Moka leaned down and pulled the boy to his feet. She had to steady and support him for a minute just to make sure that he wouldn't fall over again.

"Wha… why… I…" Tsukune began, searching for the right words to explain what he was feeling. "What the hell?"

"Well, not exactly the response I expected…" Moka giggled. She knew that he would be expecting her to go for his veins, so she decided to surprise him with what he had always been hoping for. She did realize that it meant catching hell from the other girls later. But as she licked her lips, she knew it was worth it.

"I… I'm sorry… it's just… you… and I though…" Tsukune said, still trying to form sentences as he recovered from a massive psychological shock. He thought that he was going to have a heart attack. If he hadn't already had one. He was still going over it in his head to make sure it had happened. After all, he HAD dreamed that scenario up millions of times. Well, without the intimate fall to the ground with her on top of him.

"It's okay, Tsukune. I just realized that every time I drink some of your blood, you ended up thinking that I would end up giving you a kiss, and instead you got a sharp pain in the neck. So I thought you might like that instead." Moka explained.

Tsukune was shocked. She actually HAD been thinking of him. She actually DID consider that he didn't like being baited into a kiss that just turned into a feeding session for her. The only think that he regretted was that he couldn't remember it. The fact that he hadn't expected it combined with the extreme psychological shock he had just suffered and all the thoughts racing through his head had all but wiped the event from his mind. And now he felt himself wishing that she would do it again so that he could remember it.

"I… just… wow. I wasn't prepared for that!" Tsukune exclaimed with a small chuckle. Moka also laughed. And after the Tsukune and the vampiress had reorganized themselves, the continued on their way to school, and Moka grasped the Lycaon's hand.

As the two powerful monsters approached the school, everyone's eyes darted towards the two. Moka was always being looked at by the boys, but this time, even the girls were looking at the two of them, and instead of the usual sneer or jealous look that Tsukune got, everyone had a dumbfounded or confused expression on their face.

* * *

><p>"What the heck? He was with that girl Kurumu yesterday! What is he doing back with Moka?" one of three boys exclaimed in a mixture of confusion, jealousy, and hate.<p>

"I… she… I have no godly idea. She wasn't with him at all yesterday, and that other girl was clinging to his arm as if it was his wallet, not that I view all girls that way, and today the girl we all worship is with him again!" said another of the boys, utterly dumbstruck.

"So, what do we do now?" the third boy asked.

"Now we go rip his head off and mount it on a pole so that we can try to date Moka!" the first of the boys yelled, his arm starting to grow scales like a reptile.

"No! Wait! Think!" the second boy said, grabbing the first boy's now reptilian arm with a web that he had made, so as not to lose grip on the slippery flesh. "Rumor has it that this guy beat down Saizo! Twice! And you want to run headlong out there to get skinned alive? It would be just a lizard man*, a spider monster**, and a monstrel*** against god-knows-what. If he beat Saizo to the ground twice, we'll get mutilated!"

"He's got a point…" the third boy said.

"Alright, alright. Since I'm not keen on dying either, I'll listen to you guys. But we've got to kill him somehow." the first boys replied.

"Well, what about a sneak attack? Like when he least expects it? And better yet, in front of Moka, so she can see that we're stronger!" the second boy suggested.

"Yeah! He'll never see it coming!" the third boy said.

"Alright." the first boys said. "We'll do it. But we have to plan when and where…"

* * *

><p>School, fortunately and like most days recently, passed uneventfully and peacefully. It had seemed like such a long time since the last battle that Tsukune and his friends had fought. The bell for lunch had just sounded off, and Moka approached the Lycaon's desk as he leisurely packed his bag.<p>

"Hey, Tsukune." the vampiress said in a casual tone.

"Hi." the boy responded as he finished packing his bag and got up from his seat. The two of them began to walk down the hall.

"I… I'm sorry if I freaked you out before school today." Moka said, apologizing for her actions.

"No, don't worry. It's okay. I just REALLY wasn't expecting that!" Tsukune laughed. Moka broke out in a smile and laughed too, making the Lycaon happy. They both got their lunch and sat down at their table. They were soon joined by the other girls, thought Kurumu, Mizore, and Ruby seemed rather mad about something. Tsukune couldn't put his finger on it, but Moka sure could.

"Hi Tsukune!" Kurumu said, trying to suppress most of her rage with the joy of being with Tsukune.

"Hi Kurumu. Did anything interesting happen to you today?" Tsukune asked, trying to start a friendly conversation.

"No, not really. What about you? Did anything interesting happen to you?" she asked while watching Moka. Tsukune suddenly remembered Moka kissing him and grew red as a tomato.

"I… uhh… well… no. Nope. Nothing interesting at all!" the boy said in a nervous voice.

"If it's all the same, can we girls talk for a few minutes? Alone?" Ruby asked, her eyes burning with fury and locked on Moka.

"Yes! Sure! Take all the time you need!" Tsukune responded, still sounding nervous. He could use the extra time to regain his composure. The girls proceeded to get up and walk around the corner of the nearby building to talk.

* * *

><p>"I'm not normally one for foul language, but what the hell was that?" Mizore nearly screamed at Moka as they began their discussion.<p>

"Shush! Keep it down! You don't want him to hear do you?" the vampiress shot back.

"But seriously! That CAN'T be fair! I even resisted giving Tsukune my hug yesterday just to try and be fair! And all we did when we went in the dorm rooms, like I told you, was eat some cookies I had made! And you go and plant your lips on his! If I wasn't trying to keep Tsukune happy, I would have minced you on the spot!" Kurumu yelled, in a slightly quieter tone than Mizore.

"I… just… I had to." Moka said.

"What do you mean you 'had to'?" Ruby shot back.

"It's just… well… you guys know how he always thought that he might get a kiss when I baited him in so I could get some of his blood?" Moka asked.

"Yes…" Mizore answered.

"Well, I never thought about how he felt when I did that until I overheard him when he was talking to Gin. And I thought that it might be nice to give him what he wanted." the vampiress said.

"Well, whether it was what he wanted or not, that wasn't fair!" Kurumu said. "I could have given him my hug and maybe done some other stuff yesterday if I had known that you'd be doing stuff like this today!"

"Well, maybe we should make it fair to do stuff like that. Nothing extreme, though." Moka said, eyeing Kurumu.

"Well, I'd have to say that I like the idea. After all, my day IS tomorrow." Ruby said, agreeing to the Moka's suggestion.

"But what about me?" Kurumu whined. "How am I going to make up for lost time?"

"You'll just have to lay it on a bit thicker on your next day. We'll all agree to that, won't we?" Mizore asked, aiming the question at Moka and Ruby.

"Yes, we will." Moka said immediately, mostly out of guilt.

"Yeah, I'm fine with it, as long as she doesn't go as far as she dreams of. THAT is off limits. Okay?" Ruby said.

"Yeah, okay. But at least now I'll have time to plan out my next day." Kurumu said, already deep in though.

"Alright then. If it's all settled, we had better get back to the table before Tsukune gets suspicious.

* * *

><p>The four of them returned to find that Gin had sat down at the table and that the two boys had already drummed up a conversation. Tsukune noticed the girls returning.<p>

"Hi there, you four. What did you guys talk about?" Tsukune asked.

"Oh, nothing." Ruby answered.

"Well, if you say so. Gin and I were just talking about the newspaper a bit." Tsukune said.

"Really, what about?" Kurumu asked, eager to get the boy's mind off what they might have been talking about. And before long, the bell for the end of lunch was ringing, and they all returned to class.

The second half of school, like most recently, was devoid of action. Other than the teacher assigning a massive amount of homework. Tsukune was deep in his studies, which weren't going well as they were constantly interrupted by his thoughts of Moka's actions earlier today.

Tsukune was so consumed in his thoughts that before he knew it, school was over. The bell had rung and students had filed out of the door faster than horses. All except one, who waited for the boy to pack up, then joined him as he left the room.

"Pretty long lesson, huh?" Moka asked.

"Yeah. I thought I was going to fall asleep. Again." Tsukune answered. The two of them continued talking as they left the building, far behind the rest of the students. Then entered the expanse of trees that separated each building from the other on their way to the girls dormitory, since just like yesterday with Kurumu, Tsukune had promised to walk Moka back there. They entered a small clearing on their journey, but stopped halfway through because of someone's voice.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the playboy of Yokai Academy. We've been waiting for you." said a boy's voice, though it seemed to come from everywhere. Tsukune couldn't pinpoint where the person who would soon be his enemy was located.

"You've had a group of the prettiest girls in school following you around for about a year now. We think it's time you started sharing." another boy's voice said, yet once again, it sounded as if it was all around the Tsukune.

"_We? More than one?"_ Tsukune though. He would fight if he needed to, but he had never used any of his powers in real combat before. He began to think of his ancestor in preparation for a fight. His mouth opened and let out a low, warning growl, just like a wolf.

"_Hey, cool it. You get too cocky and you're dead. If this situation turns sour, which I can see that it will, this WILL be your first fight as a Lycaon. You've never used your powers or even done any hand to hand combat." _said a familiar voice in Tsukune's head.

"_Well, yeah, but I have to be ready." _Tsukune answered back to Lycaon in his head.

"_You can be ready, or you can catch them off guard. The second would be a wiser option."_ Lycaon answered.

Tsukune calmed himself a little, then began looking around and up in the trees, searching for any sign of anyone. He started backing up and bumped into Moka. She looked at him with worried eyes. Tsukune leaned his head close to her.

"Get to the edge of the clearing, and behind a tree." he whispered in her ear. No matter what happened, he wouldn't let her get hurt. She nodded, eyes still looking worriedly into his, and began to approach the nearest edge of the clearing. Tsukune still looked around for the source of the voices.

"It's odd. We all try our hardest to get girls to notice us, and with seemingly no effort, you've made a group of friends consisting of only the hottest girls in the school. I'd ask you how you do it, but given the current situation, I don't think it will matter after today." said a third voice. Tsukune was still looking around for the voices when something sharp hit him between the shoulder blades. The Lycaon cried out in pain and collapsed to his knees.

"Wow! If that's all that it took, maybe we should have gone with your idea of killing him right away!" said the second voice. Now Tsukune could make out where they were. The werewolf lifted his head to see three shapes emerging from the edge of the clearing. As they grew closer, Tsukune could see a lizard man, a spider monster, and a monstrel with fingers that had been transformed into blades. The monstrel was in the process of wiping blood off of his hands as the trio approached the seemingly incapacitated Tsukune.

All at once, Tsukune filled his thoughts with his ancestor, and he felt power surge through him. He felt the large gash in his back instantly heal and the skin seal up around it as he grew in size. He had forgotten to remove his shoes, which had been obliterated by the growth of his feet. The bloody shirt began to rip and tear and fell off of his torso. His face had morphed to a mongrel-like visage that could strike fear into the bravest of souls. He grew silver fur that was shining bright in the afternoon sunlight, and made it appear as if he was glowing. His hands grew, and claws sprouted from his fingernails. And if one wasn't too concerned with the demon-like figure rising to around seven and a half feet tall in the middle of the clearing, they would notice that clouds were forming in a small area right above the beast.

"Oh yeah! NOW we're cooking!" shouted the spider monster, who seemed to be the leader of the three. But before he could do anything else or get a word in edge-wise, the lizard monster ran forward, teeth bared. But right as he came close and bit down, his mouth closed on nothing but air. He could have sworn that there was a large wolf there a minute ago!

Then he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, and a few seconds later, another in his back. He looked around to try and understand what had happened, since it had happened so fast. From what the other two had just witnessed, this creature had moved out of the way of their friend's attack, run forward and stabbed their friend in the shoulder with his claws, lifted him off his feet, then run forward and slammed him into a tree near the edge of the clearing.

The lizard-like beast could do nothing but cower in fear as a massive wolf snout neared his head, fangs bared, as his blood leaked out of his wound and on to the paw of this ungodly beast. The claws, being long enough, had completely pierced his shoulder from one side to the other, and were embedded in the tree behind him.

"Don't tell me who I can and can't spend my time with." a scary, low voice said. "They are my friends and I won't break apart strong friendships for scum like you."

As he finished his sentence, he clutched the lizard man with his free hand, slowly and painfully withdrew his claws from the tree behind his victim and from the victim him self, then effortlessly tossed him into a tree on the other side of the clearing, splitting said tree in half. As the lizard rose, still dazed and feeling broken after being thrown through a tree, he saw the werewolf-looking creature standing on the opposite side of the clearing. He blinked his eyes once, and in the same instant, the beast was towering over him, and he gave him a group of deep and rather painful gashes on his chest with both of his clawed hands. The lizard fell to the ground once again. There was only one thought continually repeating in the lizard man's head: _"This is no werewolf"._

Tsukune raised his blood-soaked paws to deliver an blow that would have skewered the lizard through the chest, but as he raised his hands, they were immediately covered in webbing. He turned around, his attention now off of the bleeding lizard man, to see who had interrupted his attack. Obviously, it had been the spider monster, and as his eyes locked on to the spider, he thrust his hands to his sides, instantly breaking the webbing. He began to slowly advance, but said advance was halted as the spider shot another salvo of webbing at the monster, this time directed at the Lycaon's feet.

The giant werewolf, feet tangled, fell to the ground, and the two monsters that were still able to battle instantly advanced and attacked the beast. The monstrel stayed a good distance away, and running at very fast speeds, fired sharp projectiles from his fingers. In reality, he was launching and regenerating his fingers, as if throwing a dagger and drawing another one. He wasn't going to try running up and stabbing the beast with his hand as he had done to Tsukune earlier when he was still human. Tsukune was starting to look like a pin cushion as more and more of the blades stuck into him, though not far due to his tough skin. It still hurt like hell, and the Lycaon roared in pain.

Seeing that he had an opportunity, the spider monster ran in close to try and deliver a bite to inject his venom. He made contact and injected all the venom that he had, but still the beast continued to struggle. He was sure that the power of his venom would instantly stop his heart, but it seemed to have the same effect as if he was injecting water. The beast didn't even slow his struggles to get free, though he was still stuck and bleeding quite a great deal from his back.

Moka, after seeing all of this, couldn't stand to see her beloved take anymore punishment on her behalf and ran out to him in the clearing. The monstrel and spider monster noticed her, but made no attempt to halt her advance to her friend. They merely laughed, thinking that they had showed her they were superior. She got close to the large wolf who was still struggling to free his feet. She grabbed one of his hands.

"No!" the Lycaon pleaded. "I can do this! I can protect you!"

"No, you need help. Let me help you." Moka offered.

"_Hey kid, not sure if this is a bad time, but you sure were a sucker for the tunnel vision. If you're going to win this, you WILL need her help."_ said Lycaon's voice in Tsukune's head.

"_Alright, fine. I can't believe that I still can't protect my friends." _Tsukune said to Lycaon in his head.

"_It just takes practice, kid. Now release her and get yourself untangled!" _Lycaon said.

But before Tsukune could even say yes to his the Moka's offer, the vampiress grabbed one of his blood drenched paws, brought it up to her rosary, and yanked it down. The rosary fell off the necklace and in to Tsukune's grasp. It was now covered in blood as well due to the state of his paws. Moka began to transform. Her hair grew a bit longer, and turned silver like Tsukune's fur, though not as shiny. Her eyes turned to a scarlet red color and the pupils became slits. And right after she completed her transformation, Tsukune used the paw not gripping the rosary to slice through the webbing and free his feet.

As he stood up, he saw Inner Moka run into the fray. She ran forward at the spider monster and laid a punch and a kick on him, which was more than enough to break some bones and incapacitate the spider, just like his lizard friend. But as she finished her attack on the spider, several small dart looking objects flew towards the vampiress, and a dozen found their mark in her back. She winced and doubled over while letting out a cry of pain.

That was the first and last mistake that the monstrel made. He began to fire another salvo of his finger-darts at Moka. But unfortunately for him, Tsukune had been watching as Moka was struck in the back and as she now was bleeding out of her back and on to the ground. He could think of only one thing: revenge. The black patch of fur that looked exactly like his bite scar turned red, as if soaked with blood. His red eyes were glowing. He was full of fury. And just like in his short training, time began to slow down. As he saw the monstrel fire another round of darts at his friend in slow motion, he ran forward, grabbed the darts, and flung them back at the monstrel at an even faster speed. It all seemed so slow to him, but to Moka and the monstrel, and also to the lizard man and the spider monster who had managed to lift their heads to see the ensuing carnage, it happened nearly too fast to see. A blur swept in front of where the monstrel had shot his darts, and in the same instance, his darts were sent flying back into his chest, burying themselves much deeper than they had in Moka or Tsukune. The monstrel fell on his back and, in great pain, pulled out each of the darts. He regretted that his darts had had serrated edges.

As he lay on the ground, covered in blood, Tsukune began to approach. When he was close enough, he brought his leg back, then thrust it forward, the kick sending the monstrel through a tree, just like the lizard man. He walked slowly over to where the monster lay, picked him up, and tossed him skyward without effort. He tracked the monstrel as he came down, and was waiting below him as he fell face first to have him fall and at the same time impale himself on the claws of his outstretched paw. The monster's blood ran quickly down his claws and paw, and onto his arm.

He then slammed the monstrel into the ground, making an imprint of the monster's body. He pushed his forearm down slowly and painfully, sinking his claws even deeper into the monster's chest. Like his friends, he was unable to scream or yell because of the shock that the intense physical punishment was inflicting on him. He could only gasp and make gurgling sounds as he began to choke on his own blood.

Just when it seemed as if it couldn't get any worse, Tsukune raised his gaze and his free arm to the sky. It had been clutching Moka's blood stained rosary all this time. The clouds that had formed during the beginning of the battle now grew dark, and were about to be used for their intended purpose.

At that moment, a blinding flash that was a lightning bolt flew down from the clouds and made contact with the arm Tsukune was stretching to the sky. It didn't dissipate, but just continued to course into him. His silver, glowing fur began to spark with electricity. He then turned his gaze back to the monstrel who's blood was gushing out around his claws. With a quick jolt of his body, he no longer stored the energy, but became a channel, and countless volts of electricity surged from the cloud, to the Lycaon, and into the monstrel, who was slowly creeping closer and closer to death as the time passed.

After quite about a minute, the lightning started to grow weaker, and eventually dissipated. Tsukune slowly withdrew his claws from the fried monstrel. He used a blood-soaked hand to remove each of the blades from his back and implant them into the limbs of the monstrel, causing him even more pain. He then got up and started to walk back to Moka. As he did, the patch of fur on his neck resembling his bite scar turned back to black, and his eyes ceased to glow. He was stumbling all the way back to his friend, since he had exhausted most of the energy he had been prepared to use, as he wasn't used to fighting in his monster form ever before. He was determined not to show that he was tired, though.

"Hold still. This is going to hurt a bit." he said to Moka. He intended to remove the razor-like darts from her back. She tensed up, knowing what he was about to do. He removed each of the darts and subsequently implanted them into the back of the spider monster, who had somewhat regained consciousness. The spider screamed and yelled in pain, then passed out.

"That was… thank you." said the Inner Moka, who was still released. Her wounds had started healing immediately after Tsukune had removed the darts. She hugged the giant beast.

"You're welcome. I'm sorry, but I don't know what came over me. I wouldn't have fought that brutally." Tsukune said, trying to explain how he didn't intend on fighting with such ferocity.

"What do we do about them?" Inner Moka asked.

"I guess I'll have to drag all of them back to the hospital. Oh, here you go." Tsukune replied while moving a clenched hand towards Moka. He opened it to reveal her rosary, coated in blood as if to symbolize the consequences for bringing harm to her.

"Hold on to it for a while. I'd like to spend some time with you." Inner Moka said. Tsukune stuffed the rosary into his pocket.

The two of them began dragging the nearly lifeless carcasses of the three monsters who were foolish enough to defy them both up a path to the hospital. Moka was dragging the bloody monstrel, who had almost been cut in two, while Tsukune, still in his Lycaon mode, was carrying the spider monster and the lizard man on either shoulder.

The doors of the hospital burst open, and the nurses had an awe inspiring, yet bone-chilling sight to behold. A giant wolf-like creature who's fur was soaked in blood was hoisting a spider monster and a lizard man on either shoulder, both bleeding profusely. A normal-sized girl who had the looks of a vampire and was bleeding a liberal amount of blood from her back was dragging what seemed to be a monstrel, yet with the wounds the monster had suffered combined with the amount of blood that was staining his skin made it hard to tell what he was, much less if he was alive.

"Take these off our hands if you could please." Tsukune said in the low voice that came with his Lycaon form. "They're starting to smell."

Three nurses ran up with three of the hospital's rolling cots. Tsukune dumped the two monsters he was carrying onto the cots with no care whatsoever. Moka and the three other nurses had lifted the bloody, minced mess that seemed to be the monstrel that Tsukune fought earlier onto the last cot, and they rolled each of the new patients down the halls.

"What happened to them?" asked a nurse who had been watching the whole time.

"Since I know you have to, tell the Headmaster," Tsukune said in a low growl. "that we happened to them."

* * *

><p>Tsukune and Moka walked away from the hospital, and after entering the shroud of trees once again, Tsukune reverted to his human form, though he was shirtless and shoeless. Inner Moka blushed just a tiny bit.<p>

"Well that was an interesting afternoon." Tsukune said with a chuckle.

"Yes, it was. Thanks for taking out that monstrel who got me in the back." Inner Moka said, thanking the boy. Tsukune was surprised. It was rare you got a compliment from Inner Moka.

"I should be thanking you. If you hadn't stepped in, I would have been a goner. I succumbed to the tunnel vision of battle. I almost died. If you didn't come over and release yourself to buy me time to get free, they would have made a pin cushion out of me." Tsukune said.

"But you did get free, and saved me in return, with some added revenge for good measure. So that puts me back in debt to you." Inner Moka said. She stopped them both and gazed into the brown eyes of the one she loved. It was hard to believe that they had been red a few moments ago.

"I'd like to repay my debt right now." said the vampiress as she drew Tsukune in close for a kiss, but from her this time. Not from the other Moka. Tsukune looked back into Moka's eyes as she drew him closer. This time, he would make sure to remember what it felt like.

As their lips pressed together, Tsukune began to try and remember every detail of the feeling, but his efforts were in vain due to the sheer extremity of his emotions. After a minute, Tsukune broke the kiss, not wanting to over indulge or give the Inner Moka any bad ideas.

"Is that enough to repay my debt? Or do you require more?" Inner Moka said, looking into Tsukune's eyes while licking her lips seductively. Tsukune had to hand it to her, she knew how to get a guy interested. But he chose to stay above the influence yet again, and denied her offer.

"No, that's good. Thanks." he replied. The Lycaon then proceeded to walk Moka back to the girl's dormitory where the other three girls stood, waiting for her.

"Alright. I guess this is where we say goodbye for today. Until next time." Inner Moka said. Tsukune withdrew the rosary from his pocket and handed it back to the vampiress. Before she put the rosary back on, she pulled Tsukune behind a tree and began a long kiss while reattaching her rosary to her necklace. Before he knew it, Tsukune was kissing the other Moka again.

As she opened her eyes, she pulled away shyly and blushed.

"Oh. Well, I did like doing that this morning too. Bye now!" the outer Moka said in a happy tone while running back to the dormitory and to the other girls.

Tsukune loved seeing her happy. He loved seeing all of them happy.

* * *

><p>As he began his walk back to the boys dorm, he still had a bunch of questions floating around in his head.<p>

"_Why was I fighting like that? And why did I nearly kill that monstrel? I wouldn't normally do that…" _Tsukune began to think.

"_That's right, you wouldn't, but it would be because you become more aggressive in your Lycaon state, and you also let the tunnel vision get the best of you. If that girl Moka wasn't there, you would have been done for." _responded Lycaon in the boy's head.

"_Okay, but why did I go completely psycho on that monstrel?" _Tsukune asked Lycaon in his head.

"_That would be the remains of your ghoul nature. I told you it would act as a trigger to some of your strong emotions to send you into a berserk-like state, right? Well it seems that seeing Moka get hurt triggered it." _Lycaon answered. _"Just another thing you might have to look out for."_

"_Do you think he'll live? The monstrel?"_ Tsukune asked.

"_From what I saw, you just about mutilated the guy. It's a very slim chance, but there is a chance he might survive. You just have to pray." _Tsukune's ancestor responded.

"_Alright. I guess that makes me feel a bit better. Controlling this stuff is a lot harder than I thought." _the boy said.

"_You bet it is. It just takes practice. You get better after each time you do it." _Lycaon answered.

"_Well I sure hope I won't have to do it again any time soon."_ Tsukune said as he approached the boys dorms.

* * *

><p>Story notes:<p>

*Like the ones that were harassing Yukari when we first met her in the manga

**Like the one in Rosario + Vampire II chapter 5

***Like Saizo and the rest of the Anti-Thesis

And end chapter 13. It seems that Tsukune still isn't able to completely look after himself… this could change things up a bit…

I'd like to give a quick shout out of thanks to all of you people who have reviewed (you know who you are) as well as to those who have just read, because even just having someone read my story makes me feel good. I hope that those of you who have stuck with me for this long will have the patience to read what lies ahead.

I must apologize beforehand that my author notes for this chapter are going to be very long, but there is a lot that I must tell, ask, and hopefully get responses from, be it through review or PM. So let me begin.

I'm not sure if any of you have ever done this before, but yesterday I re-read all of my story on the website, not on word or in the editor where I insert line breaks and make final editing, and I had a revelation.

The story has been going downhill.

And this is where many of you may interject for moral support, but hear me out first.

I started this whole thing with the problem with the seal, how our hero needed to become a hybrid through the help of Gin, and how the girls didn't want him growing distant because of their constant fighting. And all of you seemed to like where it was going and the drama and intensity that just magnified right up until he was bitten by Gin and turned into a werewolf. Then there was a bit of drama when he was in the hospital, but not much. And that is where it started to go downhill. I'm not one for much romance stuff, and I definitely am NOT doing any lemon stuff because I don't want to and I wouldn't know what to write about. I mean, I'm only a junior in high school. And a nerd at that. We've already seen that I'm not great at writing romantic stuff, and we saw that last chapter where I had the dumb if only cute thing with Tsukune and Kurumu. And to be completely honest, chapters nine through eleven served little more than fillers to inform all of you about some bits of the story. And let us all agree that chapter ten was bad and chapter eleven was a complete flop. No sugar coating it, chapter eleven sucked badly. And since I can't really do romantic stuff that well (I mean, I'd base it off my own experiences, and I've never even had a girlfriend), we can all agree that chapter twelve was nothing to be proud of either. I read that and almost vomited out of disgust at what didn't even deserve to be called a try at a romantic moment. I'm also pretty sure that my style of writing (word choice, vivid descriptions, the rest of the writing conventions we learned in second grade) is dwarfed in comparison to others who write stories, though I do try to write visuals that people who are good at drawing (i.e: not me) could see in their minds and draw. And if any of you who read this are good at drawing and are bored, I encourage you to give that a shot.

Also, sorry that this chapter has taken over two days to be written and posted, but I've been thinking, planning, writing, erasing, and re-doing over and over again to create a decent piece of literature that I now call chapter 13 of this story. So I've been off for a few days trying to plan a way to revitalize the story, and I think that the only thing I'll be good at doing will be action/fighting stuff with the romance only touched on lightly (or briefly if intensely) as humor possibly, though before I resort to writing off the romance stuff, I might give it a few more attempts. I must add though that after I write a romance section and re-read it to check for spelling/grammar errors, I find myself nearly puking in disgust, as I did with last chapter and with this one. Since I do listen to my audience, as Nghtwng77 suggested, I will try to go into some romantic stuff with Ruby. And in answer to a question from B-I-N-G-O-1-2-3 because of something that I forgot to add in last chapter's author notes, yes I do support the Inner Moka/Tsukune pairing. I like the idea of thawing the ice queen. I've already explained that I don't really like normal Moka or Ruby with Tsukune, and I will say that I like Mizore (because I think she's the most epic of them all. And strategic.) the best, so it would only be natural that I like the pairing of her and Tsukune as well. Please keep in mind that I have only read all of the first season and haven't delved that deeply into the second, so most of this is based right around the end of season one and the beginning of season two. And yes I probably should have mentioned that first. I might also add that the three fellows who have met a near death experience at the hands and claws of Moka and Tsukune probably won't return, unless I hear from the audience. I'm not one who likes reading, much less making and writing out-of-plot characters into stories. That is why the three have remained nameless. But should I hear a request for them to return as enemies (with names) or as new friends, I will submit to the audience and write them in.

Some good things that HAVE come out of this, as I have seen from a review that I mentioned last chapter by InMyOwnMind, such as the fact that you all have been thinking (or at least I hope you've been thinking) that I am overpowering Tsukune, which as you have seen in this chapter is clearly not the case.

The biggest problem that I face, though, is the problem that all people who write stories on face: trying to keep everybody happy. As I have seen by now, there are quite a few people reading my story. And while that is great, the problem remains. Some of you want to see me completely overpower Tsukune and have him kill all that I send against him as I type at my keyboard, while others of you (*cough* InMyOwnMind *cough*) want to have him somewhat balanced so as to keep the story relatively close to the original manga, power-wise anyways. I have to say though, balancing Tsukune has been hard seeing as I borrowed a werewolf variant (with permissions, mind you) from redwarrioroflight and his story Under the Full Moon, which had a borderline overpowered variant to start with. I have tried to tone it down a bit, for which I hope that redwarrioroflight, if he has been reading, won't get too mad at me for. I tried to keep everything as normal as I could, buddy.

The main concern was that I really wanted everyone who reads this to be happy and read it to pass the time and relax. I mean after all, what is my motto? R&R (rest & relax) right? So I've been trying like hell to keep everyone happy and reading whilst trying to maintain a quality story, but it seems that I have been failing in both areas as my chapters are decreasing in size and the enriched content value. I have been using the review board as a sort of check to see if I've been doing okay with keeping everyone happy, which is why I requested for people to try and review in the first few chapters. I was trying my best to write a story that had only positive reviews. I ended up stopping that because it seems that the more I requested, the more people didn't review, so I just decided to not say anything and pray that people would write reviews out of the good will of people to express their opinions of my story to me. So for all of you who think that I've just been asking you to do that so that I have the most reviews, I'd like to bury the hatchet because that isn't what I've been asking for.

I've been divided for quite a while now, as half of me has been saying "Just screw it, put an discontinued tag on it in the description, and go on to writing your next fiction" the other half has been saying "Don't give up, just keep writing and pray for the best". And I've opted to go with the second of those two voices, at least for a little while.

Just to sum it all up here, I've been trying to write my story with my additions, trying to keep the character's personalities as close as they can be to what I read in the series (please tell me if I'm doing a good job capturing their personalities), trying to keep it interesting and intriguing (which I admittedly believe that I've been failing at), and trying to keep all audiences happy (which I've also been failing at). It doesn't seem to be working.

So in the grand scheme of things, I'm going to continue writing my story, with it running the intended course, and I will watch the reviews of all of you to see if you people call for the story to go on or for it to be terminated. And to all of you who think negatively of the story but do not post a review because you don't want to be labeled as a flamer, please do give me your input, whether it be by PM or by review, as I appreciate constructive criticism. Make sure that if you tell me what you don't like, you have suggestions of what to change or a reason why you don't like it. Real flamers just hate stuff to hate it or to cut others down. I see all others as just adding their input. I do hope that people will answer to me and tell me whether or not they think this chapter brought the story back to or at least close to the ground I started it on.

And I realize that many of you right now may be wondering why I wrote this (and possibly why you bothered to read this, though I don't have an answer for that one). The answer is simple. As they say, you can't move past your mistakes until you take responsibility for them. So, yes, this is me, admitting the failures that I have made both in the story and to the audience. I can only hope that things get better from here.

I will add that writing this took a lot of time and effort, and I'll be taking a bit of a break as I organize the next chapter in my mind. It will be up soon though.

And with my long rant over, this is PhoenixSpectre releasing his grip on the keyboard. R&R everybody.


	14. Chapter 14: The Stains That Linger

Chapter 14: The Stains That Linger

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><p>Tsukune woke up the next morning with a splitting headache. His mind was still swirling with thoughts like a tornado with houses from all of the events that had taken place yesterday.<p>

He was wondering what the heck had started getting into Moka, and more specifically, why the silver-haired more sadistic version of her was being so nice to him to the extent of planting a kiss on his lips of her own accord. He still couldn't remember exactly what that felt like. He knew deep down inside himself that he'd have to kiss her again to remember the feeling, and even then he knew he still wouldn't remember.

He was wondering why he had fought so barbarically when confronted yesterday. In fact, he wouldn't just call his actions barbaric, he would almost call it downright sadistic. He had gravely wounded one monster and nearly mutilated another, whilst Moka had taken care of the last of the three monsters they had fought. He had been fully in control of his actions when he was fighting. But thinking back on it, now that he was out of the heat of the battle, he didn't believe that he would have been as violent and cruel in his attacks. Yet thinking back to when he was fighting, it was if he had lost all thought of mercy. He wanted blood to flow. He wanted to sink his claws into something. And most of all, he wanted to make sure that those who opposed him knew not to hurt his friends. He had nearly lost it when he saw Moka get injured, and the monster responsible had nearly paid for it with his life, if he hadn't already. He was planning on finding out exactly what state the three monsters that he and Moka had trashed yesterday were in. He DID want them to be alive. Becoming a murderer in high school wasn't high on his to-do list.

He was also wondering how he would face the others today. There was no doubt that Moka had told them by now. He didn't want to be a pacifist when it came to those who would attack him or his friends, but he wasn't sure how he would be able to explain his barbaric actions to everyone else if they asked.

The werewolf got out of bed and hit his head on the ceiling. He was in his Lycaon form. He must have been dreaming of being a Lycaon while sleeping, and thus he had transformed into his wolf-like state. He was too caught up in his thoughts to think about returning to human form at the current moment. That is, until he caught a glimpse of himself in the bathroom mirror.

A generous amount of his fur was still red with blood. Not his blood, but that of his victims yesterday. He quickly ran back to his bed and found his sheets had been soaked thoroughly with the blood that coated his fur. Just another thing that he wished Lycaon had told him earlier. He would keep the previous physical state from each transformation. So if he became spattered with blood from a fight as a werewolf and morphed back into a human, when he went through the transformation again, he would remain covered in blood, as he was when he was last a Lycaon. He quickly started a shower to rinse himself clean of the gore.

The boy had scrubbed himself over and over nearly nine times before he felt clean. And he would need to explain all of the blood on the bed when the maids came in and found it. That would be great.

"_When they report that to the Headmaster, and I know they will, I can explain it to him then. No use worrying over something I can't change right now." _Tsukune thought to himself.

After his shower, he got dressed and went down the stairs to make and eat his breakfast. He looked at the clock as he munched on cereal. It was still only seven o'clock in the morning. Class didn't start for another hour. Normally he would be rushing out the door because he would have woken up late, but today he had woken up quite early. He blamed the odd change on becoming a Lycaon, grabbed his book bag, and strolled out the door at a leisurely pace.

As he walked down the path, he was trying to review the schedule in his head. He remembered that today was Ruby's day with him. He wasn't exactly sure how that was going to work out because she had to work for the Headmaster. She was probably already at his office working, but he would meet with her after school. He still wasn't sure if he would see the other girls today while the witch was away.

"Tsukune!" cried three familiar voices. As if to answer his question, here they all came.

He looked behind him and saw Kurumu, Moka, and Mizore rapidly advancing on him. Kurumu got to him first, tackled him, and gave him her usual greeting. He started gasping for air and tried pulling away in vain.

"Get off of him!" Moka yelled as she pushed the well endowed succubus off of Tsukune, who was still trying to refill his lungs with air.

"Hi everybody." Tsukune said, greeting the three girls. "What are you doing here? Isn't today Ruby's day?"

"Well… technically, yes it is. So it would be good if you didn't tell her about this, okay? We just didn't want you to have to be alone all day." Kurumu explained.

"Well that's very nice of you. Let's get going." Tsukune said as he picked himself up from the ground.

The four of them walked to school, with Tsukune keeping rather quiet, as was usual, but instead of the others pulling their weapons and fighting over him, the girls just mildly argued while each tried to grab hold of Tsukune and keep the others at bay. Fortunately, they weren't using next-to-lethal force, as they normally did. That made him a bit happy.

"Mmm… something smells… good…" Moka murmured, trying to deduce what was emanating a smell that titillated her nostrils. She realized that she had been left in the dust a bit by the others while reflecting on what she was smelling, and hurried to catch up to her friends.

* * *

><p>School went off without a hitch. He and his group of friends did get many rather odd glances from bystanders as they entered the school. He couldn't blame them though. First he was only with Kurumu, then Moka, and now it was back to all of them clinging to him, though no one was dripping blood like sweat this time.<p>

Tsukune could still smell the strong smell of blood from the day prior's battle, he just continued on through school, hoping it wasn't strong enough to attract everyone's attention. But unfortunately, it was strong enough as to make everyone turn their head at least once towards the boy. None of the other students were sure why one of the meekest kids in the school would smell like a butcher shop, but it sent chills down their spines.

A certain pink-haired vampire wasn't able to focus on her school work because of the smell. She had tried her hardest to pay attention to the teacher, but a certain smell kept beckoning her attention elsewhere. The only thing that upset her was that she couldn't find the source of the smell. Class today went by faster than most other days, and soon enough, all of the friends were at lunch.

"Did anybody else smell something… strange in class today?" Kurumu asked. She couldn't help but ask. The air of the classroom had been so thick with a murderous odor that she needed to find out what was causing such a smell.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I smelled something rather… delicious." Moka replied.

"Okay, so now we know it was blood." Mizore added.

"Why do you say that?" Yukari asked.

"Let me ask you all something: is there anything besides blood and tomato juice we know of that Moka labels as 'delicious'?" Mizore inquired.

"No, there isn't." Kurumu answered.

"Exactly. And I'm pretty sure that the smell wasn't tomato juice." Mizore said.

Tsukune was silent throughout all of the conversation. He was beginning to become a bit worried. He knew that Moka could become a little… odd when she smelled blood that she couldn't drink. She was probably smelling his own, as he had lost a lot yesterday due to the many sharp darts he received in the back courtesy of the monstrel. Though his back had healed after he removed the darts himself, a large amount of his own blood had already coated his back.

Thankfully, the topic was changed as Ruby arrived and immediately sat down beside Tsukune. It was her day with him, after all. She wasn't going to try anything extreme. Well, not TOO extreme anyways. She DID want to see just how far she could go with Tsukune, and was determined to find out today.

"Hey everybody! What's new?" Ruby asked.

"Oh, nothing much. We're all jealous that today is your day with Tsukune and there was the weirdest aroma going around in class today." Kurumu replied.

Ruby thought she could detect a rather odd aroma in the air as well. It smelled like… violence.

"Well anyways, Tsukune, the Headmaster wants to see you after school." Ruby said.

"Alright. I think I know what he wants." Tsukune replied, the memory of the bloody sheets reappearing in his mind. He had a lot of explaining to do.

* * *

><p>The rest of the school day was exactly like the first part. Everyone gave Tsukune a wide berth after the pungent aroma reached their nose. By the time Moka had finally figured out where the smell was coming from and why it was on her beloved, she was doing her best to stay close to Tsukune the rest of the day. Whether it was in hope that she would get a snack or just because she enjoyed the smell of blood, she didn't know, but that didn't stop her from staying near her beloved. Though Mizore and Kurumu were still around Tsukune, it was hard for them to tolerate the smell, but they did so anyways for the sake of staying close to Tsukune.<p>

After school, Tsukune headed directly for the Headmaster's building. He was instantly let into the Headmaster's office where, as usual, the Exorcist was sitting at his desk. He tried his best to put on an expression of no fear, which he wasn't able to pull off and instead his expression resembled one of hollow courage.

"So what is this?" The Exorcist asked while gesturing to an array of cloths that were stained red. Tsukune knew them as his bed sheets. " Were there any other victims of your battle yesterday that we don't know about?"

"No, that isn't it." Tsukune began. "I had a lot of blood on me from my fight yesterday, and it stayed on me in my Lycaon form, which I accidentally turned into while I was asleep. Everyone who I fought is in the hospital. And, are they okay?"

"You'll have to go and see about that yourself. I haven't been able to get any word from the nurses. I've had my hands full trying to arrange transport for next year's freshmen class and for the Halloween festival this year." The Exorcist replied.

"Alright. Well, is that all?" Tsukune asked, eager to leave.

"No, actually it isn't. I had someone watching you for the first few days you went back to school after your change to make sure you were okay, and after yesterday's horrifying display, I'm kind of glad that I did what I did. From my spy's report, you went completely feral. If you had been training and had any more power left in you, those kids wouldn't be in one piece anymore. What exactly happened to the shy, kind, and pacifistic Tsukune that all of those girls love in that clearing?" Inquired the Headmaster.

"I… It… I just… I really don't know." Tsukune stuttered, trying to form a sentence to describe the feelings. "The first moment, I'm thinking that I'm just going to knock them on their butts a few times and leave some bruises. Then they started talking down to my friends and I, and I wanted to hurt them so that they would need to limp home. And then one of them hit Moka. And that's when I know I lost it. I wanted to see them bleed. I wanted to tear them to pieces. Literally."

"Well first I must say that I'm glad to have you still fighting for what is right, even if your method for getting things done has… changed quite drastically. Secondly, you're only human. Well, somewhat anyways. You're going to feel emotions at one time or another, and unfortunately, as a Lycaon, your decisions and battle style seem as if they will be hinged on what you feel, since it seems that being a Lycaon amps your emotional responses." the Exorcist replied, trying to comfort Tsukune.

"You can say that again." Tsukune added.

"If this is as bad as you say, you need to try and control your emotions. And I know that is asking an awful lot, especially of a monster of your caliber, but please try nonetheless. Other than that, I suggest that you get some rest, stop thinking about it, and also take a shower. I'm not sure if anyone has told you yet, but you reek of death. Other than that, have no more advice for you, so I do believe that my purpose here has been served. But if I'm not mistaken, I do believe that there is a young witch waiting for you in the lobby." the Headmaster said with a slight grin as he gestured towards the door. "Goodbye for now."

Tsukune walked out of the Headmaster's room and into the lobby of the grand building, where, as the Exorcist had predicted, Ruby was waiting for him.

"Hey." said the witch, greeting her friend.

"Hi. Before we hang out for awhile or do whatever it is you want to do, I'd like to go check on some patients in the hospital if it's alright with you." Tsukune said.

"It's fine. But whatever I want to do?" Ruby asked, teasing him.

"Oh, it's so funny." Tsukune said rather dramatically. "I think the ground rules for that have already been laid down. In layman's terms, hell no!"

"Alright, alright. But let's make this hospital visit fast. I probably have a lot of catching up to do with you from the stunt that Moka pulled yesterday." Ruby replied as she latched onto the Lycaon's arm.

* * *

><p>As Tsukune and Ruby left the hospital, with Tsukune's conscience a bit clearer (he now knew that the three boys weren't going to die. They'd be in the hospital for about a month, or rather two in one's unfortunate case, but they were alive nonetheless), they didn't notice the pairs of eyes watching them from the tree tops.<p>

"Well we know that he's a threat now. So what is our next move?" one voice asked.

" Isn't it simple? In decimating those three idiots, he gave away his only weakness." a second voice answered.

"And what might that be?" a third voice inquired.

"The girls that he spends a great deal of his time with. He'd do anything to save them." the second voice answered.

"So you're suggesting that we kidnap the girls, possibly injure them a bit, and then try and strike a deal?" the first voice asked.

"Well, in a sense, yes. But there is much more to it than that." the second voice replied.

"Are you mad? He'll kill us on sight if we lay a finger on any of those girls! Did you see the state of that monstrel after he hit the vampire? He was as near to death as you can get. That is, if he didn't die already." the third voice objected.

"Calm down, my friends. All good things to those who wait. For now, we watch and we plan. And when the time comes, we shall strike, then rise up and reveal ourselves. By the time that boy has figured out what we have done and will do, it will already be too late for him to act." the second voice answered as the three faded into the twilight.

* * *

><p>And end chapter 14.<p>

Before I start saying anything, I would like to apologize for the time that it took to crank out this chapter. I wanted to take a break, and I do believe that I took my sweet time because this chapter is late. Really late. Extremely frickin' late. Except that my break encompassed cleaning out my entire garage and rearranging it. And a trip to California for a little surfing (I'm in Arizona). So not really as much of a break as you'd think. More like a full blown vacation. And this chapter didn't begin for a long time because I needed some inspiration or something from last chapter that I could lead into with this. So my process involved opening up Word on my computer, sitting motionless at the keyboard for a few minutes, getting up and walking back and forth in front of the computer for about twenty minutes thinking about what I should write about, getting bored and hungry and subsequently leaving for a snack and to watch Colin Mochrie on Who's Line Is It Anyway on ABC Family, going back to my computer and walking back and forth in front of it again, and, well, repeat. Basically. Only you guys can decide if it worked.

Firstly, thanks to the reply board's current master poster (he has replied to each chapter so far), Nghtwng77. I will take your advice and do what I wish, and you can bet that I WILL be using my ideas and imagination in this to my full extent. Also, I may be either a little more carefree when doing romantic stuff. Well, maybe. If I get bored I may spend a rainy afternoon planning out something romantic between our hero and one of the girls. I can guarantee you all that writing two paragraphs of something romantic will take me up to six hours or more. Probably more

As hollownature, TKB17, and ichikogawolfdemon have urged me, I will indeed screw the idea of trying to please everyone. I will say that I think it was a good run while I tried and while it lasted. I would like to ask all people who reply to try and use clean language, as I don't really like having to read profane words (*cough* TKB17 *cough*).

hollownature: I have the same problem with fast ideas as you do. I have done one of two things. The first would be that if I have an idea that I REALLY like, I write it down for later reference. Either that, or I try and remember it, and if I can't, I just keep on writing until my next brilliant idea immerges. If you could call it brilliant. I appreciate your helpful tips on writing romantic stuff, and I will do my best to make the story "flow like a movie, not like a comic book." I really liked that line, man. I do actually read many good books as of currently. I do occasionally read some old stuff, and I've found an old copy of Shakespeare's King Lear that I am currently reading. And to everyone who just read those words, yes, go ahead and laugh. So I'm a bit old-fashioned.

TKB17: Minus the one bad word you said that I mentioned above, I will indeed be writing what I wish instead of tending to the whims of the audience. Also, I can't thank you enough for the comment about the descriptive pronouns/titles/words or whatever you want to call them. It's the stuff like that that had been bugging me and gave me this feeling that what I wrote wasn't as good as other people's stories. So with that piece of advice in my arsenal, I'll use said tool to craft sentences that sound better.

ichikogawolfdemon: I must say that it does make me feel a bit better to know that I'm not alone in the struggle of writing romantic things. I know that there might be many more of said people out there, but I am rather happy that I can actually talk to one. Thanks for that. Also, I must thank you for the info about what you have seen happen to stories when authors become to engrossed in their feedback. Since everyone has been telling me I should be writing what I feel, I'll be doing that, so I won't have to worry about that, but I still will be looking for opinions on grammar and such.

Seven Rawrs: Thanks for the kind words. It makes me feel good knowing that people like what I'm writing, so I must thank you.

The one thing that I'm curious about that no one ever was able to tell me was whether or not you guys liked my rather gory fight scene from the chapter prior. I'm pretty sure that said scene is sufficient to sustain the M rating, but I want to know what you guys thought of it. Was it interesting, intense, and made you want to read more? Did it draw a clear visual in your head (a rather gruesomely clear visual)? Overall, did you love it/hate it?

In closing, it seems that by popular demand, this story won't be ending any time soon. So thanks for your support, advice, opinion, and whatever else you may have written. And to those who wait silently in the shadows not voicing your opinions but still reading as I write, I thank you for reading.

And one more thing before I go: I have a new favorite song, which is Can't Stop by Red Hot Chili Peppers. I just wanted to let everyone know because I believe in sharing good music with the world. Search it up on Youtube if you have the time. It has a catchy beat.

For now, PhoenixSpectre signing off. R&R y'all


	15. Chapter 15: An Ominous Wind

Chapter 15: An Ominous Wind

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><p>As most days recently had gone, Tsukune found himself waking up at somewhere around six in the morning, willingly. He checked himself in the mirror to see if he was a monster or not, and had to change back since he had again transformed in his sleep. Then, he continued going through his morning routine. He was still quite tired from yesterday's escapades with Ruby after school. She had been talking on about many things, and he had found it difficult to keep up with the topic they were currently on. She had also been keeping a close eye on the horizon, and they had changed venue many times because she saw a Vampire and a Succubus watching.<p>

After breakfast and a bit of contemplation over what had gone on yesterday with Ruby, he grabbed his book bag and headed out the door. He had taken about ten paces out of the door when he heard a rather shy and familiar voice behind him.

"Hi Tsukune." Mizore said, emerging from a bush right near the door of the boy's dorm room. She seemed tense and very nervous. She kept brushing her hair out of her face and her eyes were darting from side to side avoiding contact with Tsukune's.

"Hey Mizore. Didn't see you there. How long have you been there exactly?" Tsukune asked, though he wasn't sure that he wanted to know the answer to that question.

"Well, I couldn't sleep at all last night. You know, with the thought of tomorrow being my day with you and all, so I came over here in the middle of the night and have been watching you ever since. Well, except when you went in the shower. There aren't any windows in there. I didn't expect you to be a wolf when you sleep though. Does that always happen?" Mizore replied.

Tsukune was right. He didn't really need that answer.

"Well, right now, yes. I'm still working on figuring out how to control that. So most of the time I've been waking up as a very large wolf. I wasn't paying attention one morning and actually went downstairs to eat breakfast as a wolf. I scared the living daylights out of some guy who got up early." Tsukune replied. Mizore giggled a little bit at the though.

"Well I'd be scared if I saw a giant wolf with red eyes in my kitchen, too." Mizore joked.

"Well, all of that aside, what exactly did you think of what Ruby was doing yesterday? You know, how she was trying to avoid you guys watching her?" Tsukune inquired.

"I wasn't there. I was at my dorm room doing my homework. I didn't want to have a lot of stuff on my mind today. I also trust that the rest of the girls will follow the rules we set down." Mizore said.

"Well, I must say, you're putting quite a lot of faith in Kurumu there." Tsukune joked.

"I know. I keep thinking that it may not have been the best decision I made, but I've decided. I only hope that in time the others will trust me in the same way so that we won't have their eyes watching us, like they are now." Mizore said.

"They're watching us right now?" Tsukune asked, surprised.

"Yeah. Look to your six o'clock." Mizore said.

Tsukune turned around with enough time to catch a glimpse of two heads ducking behind a tree. And the heads in question had blue and pink hair.

"How did you…" Tsukune began to ask.

"The first rule of being a stalker: be aware of your surroundings. I AM a pro at the stalking game, after all." Mizore answered before Tsukune could even form his sentence.

"Well at least I know that I'm being watched this time. Shall we?" Tsukune asked, gesturing towards the path leading to the school.

"We shall." Mizore answered while gently clutching Tsukune's left arm as they began a leisurely stroll towards the school.

* * *

><p>The day seemed to go well enough, granted Tsukune's mishap at lunch. Some idiot started making fun of the girls and himself, and was unfortunate enough to call the girls a rather nasty name, and instead of his normal lunch, he was fed a knuckle sandwich by the Lycaon boy that sent him through the brick wall of the cafeteria. But in Tsukune's mind, while factoring in everything else in the day, it had turned out pretty good.<p>

The final bell of the day rang and Tsukune started to put away his books and supplies. He was soon joined by the Snow Maiden.

"Hey. That was some show you put on at lunch today." Mizore said, teasing the boy.

"I didn't think I'd end up using ALL my strength, I just wanted to hurt him a bit for what he said." Tsukune said, trying in vain to defend his case.

"Well, you really shouldn't worry that much." Mizore said, trying to comfort the Lycaon. "I mean, it isn't like that sort of thing doesn't happen all the time. Since everyone sees us gals hanging out around you all the time, we get called all those names behind our backs, like who-"

"Don't say it! I don't like hearing it, and I don't want to get mad at that guy again. I might end up subconsciously thinking I need to have him on the level of those other three who are in the hospital." Tsukune said, cutting Mizore off. "But now that all of that is over, what do you want to do? We've still got around six hours until curfew."

"Well, I know what I really want to do, but I can't do that because of our rules." Mizore said. They both blushed quite a bit at the comment.

"When I actually think about it, I'm content just spending time with you. We can go anywhere, do anything you want." Mizore said.

"Well, that's awfully thoughtful. In all truth, everyone else has been dragging me around everywhere and having me do what they want me to. It's kind of nice to have someone asking me what I'd like to do." Tsukune replied. Mizore blushed a bit. "But I really don't know what I'd like to do. I guess we could just go for a walk or go somewhere to hang out."

"A walk sounds lovely." Mizore replied. "I'll meet you outside the boy's dorm once I've put my school stuff away."

"Alright. See you soon!" Tsukune replied.

* * *

><p>"Wait, are they going separate ways? What kind of a plan does she have for him anyways?" Kurumu asked. With Moka keeping her company, the two had been watching Tsukune for quite some time.<p>

"I don't know. Maybe she's getting ready for something. It looks like she's headed for her dorm room." Moka answered.

"But what's her plan? You can't beat someone if you don't know their game plan." Kurumu replied.

"Well actually, you can. It's what they call blind luck." Moka replied.

"Yeah, I know, but if I'm competing for my Mate of Fate's heart, I don't want my overall strategy to be praying when I go to bed each night." Kurumu replied in a rather sarcastic tone.

"I know what you mean. By the way, where is Ruby? She should have been here by now." Moka asked.

"I don't know. Maybe she had some extra work to do for the Headmaster." Kurumu said.

"Maybe, but I don't know. Something doesn't feel right. You can almost feel it in the wind. Don't you feel it too?" Moka inquired.

"No, and I don't particularly care what the wind is trying to say. Ruby is fine. She doesn't have any enemies. What could have happened?" Kurumu said.

* * *

><p>Ruby awoke in a small, dark room illuminated by a single light bulb that hung over her head, and even that light bulb seemed as if it wasn't really doing its job. She was chained to a chair. She was feeling unnaturally tired and was fighting just to keep conscious. She couldn't feel much of her body at all, much less remember how she got here. She felt bruises and cuts all over her body.<p>

"What the… I… what… where… am I?" Ruby said, struggling to make a sentence. She still felt a bit groggy, and she couldn't really remember what had happened to her.

"Woah now, take it easy there. We can't go fishing if our bait is dead. And I must say, damn! You put up one hell of a fight this morning. We've got your cane, and just in case you've got any other magic stuff, we've relieved you of everything you were carrying, including your jewelry. You can never be too sure. But you did give us quite a scare. For awhile there we were worried that we did something wrong with the amount of anesthetic we used on you. You've been out for about five hours." a voice said from somewhere in the darkness.

"Who… are you? Where are you? Where am I?" Ruby said, trying to mask the terrified tones of her voice.

"Who are we? We're just three jealous guys who are in the market for revenge. Currently, we're all around you, and right now you are in a room that we painted black and soundproofed, so you won't be getting out any time soon. And in a few days, you and the rest of your friends will be the bait on our fishing line." a second voice said from behind her.

"Although guys, it IS a shame to have such fine bait and not sample it for ourselves first." said a third voice in a wicked and clearly perverted tone. This person was directly to Ruby's right. She could feel his warm breath as he spoke and his hand as it combed through her hair. The witch bit back tears.

"Patience, friends. We have to keep our bait unused or the plan may not work. Once we've caught our fish, we'll move on to those other various frivolities." said the first voice in a sinister tone.

"I have a friend, and he is a very strong monster. He'll come looking for me and mince you all up." Ruby said, her voice quivering.

"Oh, do you mean Tsukune? The boy toy of you and your friends?" the second voice inquired.

Ruby nodded rather slowly. "But he isn't a boy toy. He's our friend."

"Yes, he will come looking for you. But I'm afraid that you don't understand. We fear him, as we have seen first hand what he can do. But your ultimate savior, your trump card, your friend, or whatever you want to call him, HE is our target. After all, if you're going after a human as your mark, you need to work over his emotions. Why else would we be kidnapping only his closest friends?" said the third voice.

"Now don't you go anywhere, not that you can, at any rate. I assure you, we've thought of everything. You'll see some of your friends soon enough." said the first voice.

The three began cackling maniacally as they moved towards the front of the room. Ruby heard a door open and close on squeaky hinges, but still saw no light as the door opened. Seconds later, the dim light above her head was turned off. She tried to edge herself closer to the door, but her seat had been bolted to the ground. These three really HAD thought of everything. So she sat alone in this soundproofed room, nothing but darkness around her, and no way to call for help. She was completely cut off from the world. So she did the only thing that she could think of. She began to cry.

* * *

><p>"Alright everyone, so that's one down and three to go. Who's next?" the first voice asked. They were in a hallway that they had blacked out just like they did the room that Ruby was currently kept in. Just in case any of them got out, they wouldn't know where to go, and they could be recollected. They alone held the only three keys that could open the doors of this place, and nothing else would be able to get in. The had fortified the place like a bunker.<p>

"I vote Kurumu. She is the second most ignored and likely to go unnoticed." said the second voice as they continued down the corridor passing many metal doors. This person was twirling Ruby's cane in his hands.

"I'm in, but I admit, I'm a little frustrated that we're going to all the trouble to collect these girls and we can't even enjoy the fruits of our labor, so to speak." said the third voice as they reached a steel door at the end of the hallway. One of them pulled our their key and unlocked the door. They all began climbing a set stairs.

"All in good time, my friends. First, we need to eliminate the threat. If we start having fun with all these girls before then and that beast of a boy catches wind of that, our chances of survival in a fight drop a considerable rate. Now let's get back through the barrier and back to the school." said the first voice as the voice as they exited into the dimly lit lobby of what appeared to be a broken down old shack, worthy of being condemned if it hadn't been already.

The three of them had picked out this location for their plan, as it perfectly suited their needs. An impenetrable underground prison-like place in the middle of nowhere with the entrance disguised as an old shack. They sure were happy that the police in the next town over had abandoned using it.

"Gentlemen, I do believe that our plan is working." said the first voice, which belonged to Midou Kusabi as he, Okuto Kotsubo, and Saizou Komiya exited the shack.

* * *

><p>Hey everybody. I think I still need to apologize for my long break and are appreciating those of you who are still reading. I also am a little frustrated at Nghtwng77 for being all psychic with guessing the identity of one of my bad guys, but still, I'm happy he's reading.<p>

PhoenixSpectre signing off. R&R y'all


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